Against the Tide
by XD
Summary: After Youma research was legalised, the Anti Youma Brigade was formed to clean up any possible mess. And that was why Naruto and Sasuke's lives could never be the same again. Is friendship really possible in their line of occupation?
1. Prologue

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Prologue  
  
  
  
Uzumaki Naruto.  
  
That was the name printed solemnly across the pale, white sheet of paper.  
  
And even after staring at it for a good fifteen minutes, Sasuke knew that it meant nothing to him.  
  
"Watch where you walk, if you don't want to end up in a manhole," the silver-haired man beside him spoke up, his lazy, quiet voice echoing down the quieter corridors of the Youma Research Laboratory. The season was such that most of the Youma-Ningen living there had been loaned out for missions. The usually hushed halls of the Laboratory thus seemed even more subdued than usual.  
  
Unhappy at being caught off guard, Sasuke snorted softly and turned his head away from his immediate superior. "Why don't you mind your own business, Kakashi," the boy scoffed, while tucking the document safely away into his pocket. "I don't care if you're the Inspector or not - if this Youma-Ningen doesn't fit the bill, then I'm not even giving him a second glance, you hear?"  
  
"Yes yes," the man called Kakashi scratched his forehead protector experimentally. "Whatever you say, Sasuke-/kun/."  
  
Although the dark-haired boy shot his mentor a glare, he did not say anything else in retort. They continued down the hallway in mutual silence.  
  
Their destination was reached in a short while - a long stretch of observatory corridors decked floor to ceiling with heavy-duty, see-through mirrors. The rooms along the particular stretch they were in were either dark or dimly lit. Only one had bright light pouring out from it, and Sasuke assumed that it was the room they were looking for. There was already someone outside, pacing along the lighted glass panels. When that person noticed two additional sets of footsteps, he looked up, and his anxious countenance warmed into a smile.  
  
He stood upright in an official salute when the duo approached him. "Inspector Jounin," he looked at Kakashi, who nodded, "and Officer," he then turned to salute Sasuke, who saluted back glumly. Quickly replacing his hands by his side, the man started his introduction, "I am Umino Iruka, the assigned caretaker for Youma-Ningen Uzumaki Naruto. I have heard that you both wish to engage him in some official services, and I am more than honoured to act as his referral and testimony..." He trailed off, looking to Kakashi for a reply.  
  
The masked man smiled such that his single visible eye tilted into an upturned curve. "That sounds very interesting. Perhaps you would like to give us more information."  
  
Iruka immediately perked up, his single ponytail bobbing about in excitement. "Yes, sir!" He exclaimed, in the voice of someone who had obviously seen many rejections. "Uzumaki Naruto is sixteen years of age and fresh for any mission. He is strong, talented, hard-working and picks things up quickly. He can also..."  
  
The fast-paced babbling of the caretaker escaped into the dark recess that was the back of Sasuke's mind after a while. He had agreed to come look at the Youma-Ningen, after all, only because Kakashi threatened to dissolve the Anti-Youma Brigade - commonly known as the Taiyoubu - if he didn't at least try to get a partner for his mission this time. The special department was established as a subset of the police force by the Uchiha, some time after Orochimaru's experiments had been granted restricted recognition. But authority had been given to Kakashi after the clan fell, since Sasuke was not yet of age to inherit it legally. Still, he held no interest in hearing what the caretaker had to say to encourage him to engage this Youma-Ningen as a partner, at all.  
  
Because he already knew, from the start, the decision he would make at the end of this meeting.  
  
The light from the mirror-glass attracted his attention while he vaguely heard Kakashi laugh and say, "That sounds a little too good to be true. What problems does this boy have?" Ignoring the nervous reply of Iruka, Sasuke leaned towards the window and peered into the laboratory room, willing to do anything to let the conversation between the adults drift away from his ears.  
  
The more he peered, however, the more he found himself staring in muted disbelief at what was inside.  
  
He had been to Youma-based laboratories, and had seen experiments going underway there. He had even been in the living quarters of a Youma-Ningen before, Kakashi having compelled him to, in order to investigate his 'potential partner' - as the perverted Inspector had so lewdly put it - more thoroughly. Although prisoners to the labs, the Youma-Ningen he saw before were at least free to move about, and even visit one another, pretty much like they lived in a massively grand scientific hotel.  
  
This particular one, however-...  
  
"And... well, that is... you see... he does have a bit of a track record..."  
  
...-was a little different.  
  
"So much so that he has to be chained to the bed?" The conversation between the adults continued, but Sasuke was only paying half a heed. He leaned further towards the mirror, squinting through the tinted glass to try to inspect the boy.  
  
"Well... he hasn't /technically/ succeeded in any of his previous assignments before..."  
  
The Youma-Ningen boy's shoulders tensed, as if he could sense that someone was talking about him behind his back.  
  
"And he also has a prankster streak and often gives more trouble than help..."  
  
Slowly, the boy turned around to face the glass panel.  
  
"Which Youma did they... ugh... combine him with?"  
  
The room proceeded to be engulfed by an ear shattering silence.  
  
Naruto, as Sasuke remembered was the name of the boy, took the period of silence to turn around completely, so that he could now be seen in his full, front view.  
  
"... did you not read the document I sent to you prior to your coming, sir?"  
  
The boy cast his lonely depths right at Sasuke, looking him straight in the eye.  
  
"Ahaha... Sasuke was hogging the sheet the whole time, so..."  
  
Something in the boy's eyes flinched.  
  
"... It is the Kyuubi, sir."  
  
And for that one moment, Sasuke thought he could see a perfect reflection of himself in those clear, painful irises.  
  
"... Kyuubi." Sasuke heard Kakashi reiterate monotonously. There were some paper rustling sounds, possibly that of the man flipping through Naruto's assignment history. "I see... that would explain a lot."  
  
The uncomfortable silence stretched.  
  
"Sir..." the caretaker, Iruka's voice was suddenly cold. "... if there is perhaps something about Naruto's background that displeases you, then I'm afraid this-"  
  
He was stopped when Kakashi held a hand up. The silver-haired Jounin then turned to Sasuke and asked in a low tone, "Sasuke. What do you think?"  
  
Blinking at the sudden query, Sasuke slowly turned to regard his mentor suspiciously. "You /know/ what people out there say about me-"  
  
"What they say about you won't help preserve the Taiyoubu," Kakashi reminded the teen darkly. Caught, Sasuke suppressed a snarl and turned away, pressing his hands firmly against the window in a symbolic attempt to push his frustrations away. "You either take another partner - I don't care who, or the Taiyoubu goes. That wasn't very hard to understand, was it?"  
  
Sasuke spun back quickly upon the threat. "You!!" He glared angrily at Kakashi. Years of experience with the man, however, told him that quarreling was no use. "I can't!" He settled for his honest opinion instead. "I can't take another partner, even /if/ he's Youma-Ningen, and you very well know it! Why do you keep asking me to?"  
  
"Sasuke-kun," Kakashi reverted back to his schoolteacher ways. "Have you even read the documents beyond the first line?"  
  
Taken aback at the piercing question, Sasuke looked away in guilty silence.  
  
"Thought so," Kakashi scratched the back of his head again. He looked at the a sheet singled out from stack of papers Iruka had handed him and read slowly, "Uzumaki Naruto, 16, male. Problematic, unpredictable, but flexible and powerful. Son of a great hero, bearer of a great curse. Carrier of the most powerful Youma in the Fire," he paused, "Kyuubi no Youko." Letting his arms drop to his side, he stared expectantly at Sasuke.  
  
"What's your point?" The Uchiha demanded after a while, not quite understanding what Kakashi was getting at.  
  
"My point is, Sasuke," the older man shrugged, "is that yes, I understand. I know what they say about you, and I know about the curse. It's true that the curse has worked on everybody who was brave enough to try it so far, but think, Sasuke. Think really carefully," he wagged a finger at the youngling. "Is that curse so strong that it can win even the Youma who almost destroyed Konoha sixteen years ago?"  
  
Sasuke growled. "I'm not going to use someone else's life as an experiment to satisfy my curiosity," he all but barked.  
  
"Hmmm, well that is true," Kakashi turned his attention this time to Iruka, who had been listening to them quietly all this while. The ponytailed caretaker jumped slightly at the sudden focus. "Perhaps we should ask the caretaker how he feels about the matter."  
  
"... 'the matter'... sir?" Iruka expressed his confusion.  
  
"Let's say," Kakashi gestured, speaking with a bright, optimistic slur, "that Sasuke here decides that he will assign Naruto to himself for a partner in this upcoming mission," he paused to take in the incredulous and disbelieving looks on Sasuke and Iruka respectively. "Will you allow it?" The silver-haired continued, uncaring.  
  
"Will I allow it??" Iruka's face literally lit up with joy. "Are you kidding, sir? Show me the papers and I'll be more than happy to sign them!"  
  
"Really?" Kakashi walked up next to the unsuspecting Sasuke, who had returned to glaring into the glass pane, fuming silently to himself. Stealthily, he grabbed Sasuke by the neck, turned him so that he back-faced Iruka, and pulled down the collar near his left shoulder, earning him several frantic screeches of protest. "Even after you see... this thing?"  
  
"Kakashi! You bastard!" Sasuke's shout echoed into the dark, lonely corridors. He valiantly attempted to break free, but there was a reason why Kakashi was an Jounin while he was still just a Genin, after all. He found that his struggles were futile, so he stopped, tensed and seething. When he became of age and took over the squad, the first thing he was going to do was to sack this stupid guardian of his! Really!  
  
In the meantime, Iruka had been taken aback at Kakashi's action initially. Slowly, however, he grew paler in the face. His eyes were upon the single blemish that marred the whole of Sasuke's lower left shoulder back. "That's... the mark of... !!"  
  
"I see I don't have to explain any further," Kakashi released Sasuke, and the boy literally jumped as far away as he could with a glare that could burn walls. He was ignored, because Kakashi simply continued as if nothing had happened, "So you see? You understand, right? The mark of the Hebi-Youma is no trifling legend. It has never failed to come true so far, though the superiors do not wish to recognise it. By letting your Youma-Ningen partner Sasuke, you may end up doing him more harm than good." He observed the caretaker turn pensive. "Well, caretaker? If push comes to shove, are you willing to take up this gamble?"  
  
Iruka was a wall of silence, after the revelation. There was evident worry, doubt and hesitation etched across his features. He glanced in the direction of the window, looking absently into the room where Naruto was imprisoned. "Inspector," he said, with an anxious frown, "I admit, after what you have said and what I have seen, that now I am quite hesitant about permitting the assignment."  
  
Sasuke gave a silent snort, and turned to want to leave, happy that someone else had made the decision for him. He was stopped, however, when Kakashi shot him a stern glare and held him by the wrist.  
  
He found out why soon enough, when Iruka spoke up again. "But I also must admit," the adult sighed with a wistful smile, "that even though I am Naruto's caretaker, I must administer, not my will, but his decisions." The wistful smile turned determined. "I fear you underestimate Uzumaki Naruto, Inspecter, Officer," he nodded at both man and boy. "He is not only strong, but also fearless. Not even the curse of the Kyuubi has defeated him. I don't see how a Hebi-Youma can do otherwise."  
  
"You hear that, Sasuke-kun?" Kakashi reverted back to schoolteacher speech. He hadn't needed to look at the boy to know that he was scowling. "Neither the caretaker nor the Youma-Ningen cares about your curse. It's your call entirely."  
  
"I told you I'm not interested!" Sasuke snapped. He spun around so he did not have to face the two adults and pouted angrily at the mirror-glass window.  
  
"Be nice, Sasuke," Kakashi shook his head, while Iruka reclined in disappointment. "I'm not asking you to get married. Just this one mission, Sasuke. I want you to go on this new mission with someone else other than yourself. After that, I won't interfere with your choice... or rather, lack, of companions anymore." The Inspector sighed. "Well? What do you say?"  
  
Sasuke chose not to reply. He peered angrily into the mirror-glass, noticing that Naruto had not broken away from staring at him from since just now. That was strange, since Naruto could not possibly see anything but his own reflection from inside the room through the windows. That was how the lab was built. For some reason, though, Naruto just kept staring at the spot Sasuke stood.  
  
Almost as if he knew that there was someone there.  
  
"Sasuke. I don't have all day," the voice of Kakashi once again reminded him of his current responsibility. "Do you want the Taiyoubu to stay or not?"  
  
"Of course I do!"  
  
"Well that's settled it then," the wily inspector turned and nodded at Iruka. "Iruka-sensei, we're engaging Uzumaki Naruto for one mission. Kindly show me where to make my signature-"  
  
"Kakashi!!"  
  
"That's enough, Sasuke," the inspector frowned sternly at his protege. "Treat this as an order if you must. You will complete your next mission with Uzumaki Naruto, or you will have no more missions at all. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
Rage and rebellion rose all the way to the tip of his tongue. Yet Sasuke restrained his thoughts from bursting out in a fantastic display of infuriated commentary against his guardian. He looked away and twisted his face in reluctance and helplessness. He could not help but hear the words he had not heard for a long time force themselves through his memories.  
  
Somebody was going to die again.  
  
Somebody was going to die, and it would be all his fault again.  
  
"Please, show me the way to the reception," Kakashi's fading voice and footsteps echoed into Sasuke's ears. Yet, he was no longer interested in what the man was doing or saying.  
  
Giving a long sigh of frustration, Sasuke glared into the lighted room. Through the heavily tinted glass he saw that Naruto had kept looking at him, and so he looked back. Information filtered through his mind selectively; he recalled the bits and pieces he had caught during Iruka's previous briefing.  
  
Had it really been years since Naruto's last assignment? Did that mean that he had been chained to his bed all this time? Sasuke could feel his heart growing soft at the thought. That would probably explain why those eyes looked so lonely.  
  
So lonely.  
  
Almost like the same pair he saw in the mirror every morning.  
  
Sasuke knew that it was only as a last resort that Kakashi dragged him down to the Youma labs to find a mission partner. For as long as he could remember, the man had been emphasising teamwork during missions - something he couldn't quite do if he was alone and by himself.  
  
At that thought, however, Sasuke's mind immediately reminded him - with vivid images, of what had happened to his last partner. He stifled a cry of distress at the mere thoughts, knocking his forehead against the clear window. Why didn't anybody understand? Did they think he willingly /chose/ to be alone? Did Kakashi not remember what happened to each and every one of his previous partners? Did teamwork matter to him so much more than the lives of people who would be jinxed by the curse?  
  
/Is that curse so strong that it can win even the Youma who almost destroyed Konoha sixteen years ago?/  
  
Kakashi's previous statement was like an arrow of hope, aimed at his heart.  
  
Perhaps it was true?  
  
Perhaps there was someone in this world the curse could not reach?  
  
/... you underestimate Uzumaki Naruto, Inspecter, Officer ... Not even the curse of the Kyuubi has defeated him. I don't see how a Hebi-Youma can do otherwise./  
  
The caretaker had a point, however minute, Sasuke realised, while he stared at his shoes in rigid consideration.  
  
The boy was still staring at him when he looked up. He was tinted in shades of clear brown through the mirror-glass. Sasuke found himself wondering randomly what colour those lonely eyes really was. Subconsciously, he withdrew a piece of paper from his pocket, and he looked upon it with thoughtful, clouded eyes.  
  
Uzumaki Naruto.  
  
That was the name printed solemnly across the pale, white sheet of paper.  
  
  
  
  
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22/7/2004  
Part 1 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  
  
Special thanks to Neen and sadieko for helpful suggestions! :D This goes out to everyone in OMG! Naruto RP, and Chien, whose fic challenge generator spurred me on in the middle of a hiatus. Full author's notes at the end of entire story. Hope you like the fic!  



	2. Chapter One

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Chapter One  
  
  
  
Without the muted brown tint of laboratory glass, Sasuke realised something.  
  
Uzumaki Naruto had a head of wild, offendingly bright blond hair.  
  
And a pair of calm, unbelievably azure eyes.  
  
Sasuke also realised something else.  
  
He realised he wished the person was as calm as his eyes looked.  
  
They met in front of the station main gate, where Sasuke was leaning against the wall looking decidedly bored. Naruto came trodding down from a random path a few minutes later, and for a brief moment their glances locked. Sasuke was aware that Youma-Ningen were powerful, volatile creatures, so he noted to himself to be extra quiet and well-behaved that day. He turned around, and was about to beckon at the blond, when something Naruto did froze his blood very very quickly.  
  
Naruto grinned, wide and large, at him.  
  
With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Sasuke managed to utter a raspy, "Follow me," to the boy, who nodded and /bounced/ towards him. He took quick steps towards the police station building, feeling dread crawl over his every cell when he could hear /humming/ coming from behind him. Sneaking a small glance over his shoulder, he could see that it was indeed Naruto who was humming that silly little tune. He restrained the gasp that was threatening to escape from his throat and concentrated on reaching the station building. Slowly... slowly... one step at a time...  
  
"Hey, your name's Sasuke, right?"  
  
...crap. Sasuke thought to himself. He turned slightly to nod at the Youma-Ningen, still not too sure what to think about him.  
  
"My name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm gonna be the next Hokage of the Hidden Leaf!!"  
  
Sasuke knew, from that sentence on, that his day was as good as over.  
  
  
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"Sasuke" The voice behind him whined, and shook him on a shoulder like they were old buddies. "Come on, tell me already! What's this mission going to be all about?"  
  
For the umpteenth time during the short journey from the police post entrance to the offices within, Sasuke groaned with great displeasure. And it wasn't that the corridor was /that/ long, either. It was just that the insufferable fool walking beside him was making the walk seem much longer than usual. And they had only barely met for fifteen minutes.  
  
"Is it going to be something super cool? Like we gonna hunt down some big, massive Youkai and become heroes? Or is it some top secret, super classified spying mission that we have to do outside the village? Come on, Sasuke, the suspense is killing me!"  
  
Sasuke stopped abruptly, unable to bear the whining any longer. He turned around and frowned into Naruto's eyes.  
  
"Listen," he tried to sound as calm as his nerves permitted him to, "can you just shut up for a minute or two? I already told you I don't know anything about the next mission. Once we actually reach the office, we'll get briefed, okay? So stop bothering me about it!"  
  
In reply, Naruto blinked his large, unflinching eyes. He immediately frowned back at Sasuke and retorted, "Has anyone ever told you what an ass you are? I wasn't asking to know /everything/! We're supposed to be partners, putting our lives on the stake for each other, and I barely know anything about you but your name. You haven't even told me what your job scope is at all. Don't you at least know about that?" The boy stuck his tongue out at Sasuke, much to the Uchiha's horror and chagrin. "Why did Iruka-sensei ever allow you to sign me out at all? Asshole!"  
  
Sasuke felt the urge to murder suddenly arising from within.  
  
Oblivious to the dangerous tension, Naruto glanced once across Sasuke's shoulders and brightened up considerably. "Shikamaru!" The blond waved, smiling so radiantly his eyes could barely be seen anymore. "Hey there! Long time no see!" His grin stretched.  
  
Sasuke turned cautiously after Naruto's attention broke. He could recognise the familiar name, but he did not understand why Naruto would be calling it - or how he even knew it. He thought Naruto was just a fear-inspiring Youma-Ningen who had been bound up in chains for years in the laboratory. His frighteningly happy attitude aside, the fact that he seemed to know somebody in the police department merited some degree of caution and attention.  
  
From a short distance away, Shikamaru was just strolling casually out from around the corner. He had a cup of coffee in his right hand and his left hand covered his mouth as he yawned. He jumped slightly when he heard his name and looked randomly in the direction of the voice. When his eyes fell upon Naruto, he blinked in surprise. "Naruto!" He managed to gasp in that lethargic way of his. The surprise then melted away into slight dismay. "Sheesh, what trouble are you gonna cook up this time, Naruto? Tell me early so I can stay away from it, mmkay?"  
  
Despite what his statement had suggested, however, Shikamaru sauntered closer and closer to the duo. The ponytailed teen gave Sasuke a nod of acknowledgement. He then eyed Naruto expectantly, bringing his cup of coffee to his lips.  
  
"I don't know," Naruto was saying, hovering about behind Sasuke and peering over one of the dark-haired teen's shoulder. He shot a glare at the back of Sasuke's head. "Meanie here won't tell me a single thing about anything. Only keeps telling me to hurry up and get to the office or something."  
  
Shikamaru sputtered dramatically into his coffee.  
  
"Woah, you all right?" Naruto blinked in surprise and concern, although he remained warily behind Sasuke. Sasuke frowned slightly at Naruto, then at Shikamaru, knowing he was powerless to rebuke his pony-tailed colleague's reaction. Both Naruto and Sasuke waited for an answer to come from the other boy.  
  
Once Shikamaru's coughing spurts stopped, he raised his eyes to look at Sasuke with a questioning glance. Sasuke found himself quickly looking away from Shikamaru. It had been so long since someone had voluntarily came up to him to talk, that he did not know how to respond.  
  
Shikamaru closed his eyes and started drawling, "I really pity--," while Sasuke winced further into himself. He already knew Shikamaru was going to tell Naruto about the curse, like any normal, sensible person would. And although it would be for the better - so that Naruto would stop bothering him and trying to 'make friends' with him, he still could not help but cringe everytime someone mentioned the curse and its effects. He braced himself.  
  
"-- you, Sasuke." Shikamaru finished - much to Sasuke's surprise, by putting a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head. "I really pity you. Whatever you have done to make you get Naruto as your partner, I don't wanna know." He paused to pat Sasuke's shoulder consolingly. "Nevermind that. I hope you survive," Shikamaru flashed the stunned Uchiha a thumbs up and a genuine though lazy smile - one of the few he had ever seen in these past couple of years. "I haven't seen anyone strong enough to resist Naruto's idiocy for even one day yet."  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Naruto's reaction was immediate, as he screeched directly into Sasuke's ear. Before he could continue, Sasuke backhanded him, forcing all the other words to tumble back into his throat. He then placed a hand over his sore ear and winced. Nobody screams into Uchiha Sasuke's ear and gets away with it, rawr!  
  
"Shikamaru is right," Sasuke growled, shooting a glare at Naruto. "Idiocy is contagious. How many other people have you infected with inanity so far, dead-last?" The Uchiha found himself unable to stop from smirking at the increasingly infuriated blond. Shikamaru took this moment to quickly excuse himself wordlessly from the scene. After all, Naruto's bright blue orbs had slowly narrowed into dangerous slits. And just like every other intelligent ninja, Shikamaru knew when it was a good time to flee.  
  
"If Iruka-sensei didn't warn me to behave or else," Naruto announced, just as Shikamaru turned the corner, "I would so be eating your brains out right now, Uchiha Sasuke!"  
  
Sasuke shrugged. "My brains are so much better than yours, after all."  
  
"Why you!!" Naruto leapt, grabbing onto Sasuke's shoulders and baring a set of fangs in a low grumble. Sasuke noted with fascination that he had never seen those fangs before. Just as Naruto was about to sink his nasty looking teeth into Sasuke's shoulder, a hand shot out from behind him and tugged him forcefully away by the scruff of his shirt. Naruto yelped and struggled, but the grip on him was strong. And it was no wonder.  
  
For it was Kakashi.  
  
The silver-haired man sighed dramatically. "If you boys must murder each other, can you please not do it in public? It's bad for the name of my department." He observed the duo glaring at each other and sighed again. "Now if we're all calmed down, may I ask - why in the world is the most elite team on my squadron... well, the /only/ team on my squadron, but anyway - why are you making a fool of yourselves, fighting each other on the common corridor of the police headquarters?"  
  
"HE STARTED IT!!" Both boys pointed angrily at each other. When they realised that they had just demonstrated a feat of amazing telepathy, they glared each other down again, until they both spun around with a loud harrumph, refusing to look anymore at each other in the eye.  
  
Again, Kakashi sighed. He placed Naruto back on the ground while saying, "All right, that's enough. Get out of the way before the others start coming in." He made waving motions and herded both boys quickly towards the door at the far end of the corridor. Once there, he spun around and waved with a single hand. "I need to go somewhere for a while. Why don't you boys get in first? Just make yourselves comfortable and try not to kill each other!" With a happy skip, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.  
  
The two boys gaped after him.  
  
"What the-" Naruto spoke up first. "That was your sensei, wasn't it!" He blinked in confusion at the now empty corridor. "Isn't /he/ supposed to be giving the briefing? Why is he running away?" The blond turned to Sasuke for an answer.  
  
In turn, the Uchiha just snorted, sliding the door they were in front of open. "I'm still trying to figure out how and why he's even my superior in the first place, dumb-ass."  
  
Naruto's face twisted into a scowl. "Stop calling me names, asshole!"  
  
"I wasn't calling you names, idiot. I was stating facts."  
  
"WHY YOU!!"  
  
Naruto leapt onto Sasuke from behind, forcing him to release the grip he had on the door handle. The door springs quickly slid it back to its original position, sending both boys tumbling into the room. Sasuke could only give a muffled yelp of surprise when he felt fingernails dig into his flesh. He rolled over and was about to jab Naruto in his eyes in retaliation when a foot stamped itself beside his head on the floor, effectively pausing all and any further action.  
  
"What," the voice that next could be heard was lined with promise of doom and destruction, "in the world, is going on here?"  
  
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto instantly whined. He got off the floor and scrambled towards Iruka, coming to a stop just before the man. "Iruka-sensei! That Sasuke is such a bastard! He wouldn't tell me a single thing about the mission! And he wouldn't say anything else but shut-up-naruto or be-quiet-you-idiot and things like that! I don't think he really wants me to partner him for the mission..." The last sentence was soft and mumbled, but Sasuke heard it anyway. He jerked slightly at the accusation, but then realised that it was true that he had not wanted a partner at all. He glared at the still complaining Naruto and looked away, strangely angry. Without saying anything in reply, he took a seat around the meeting table.  
  
Naruto's droning soon came to an abrupt stop, when Iruka whacked him soundly across the head. "That's enough, Naruto," the warning was stern. "Sit down beside Sasuke and we'll go through the mission together."  
  
Amazingly, the command worked. Naruto, though unwilling, took a seat beside Sasuke as instructed, staying perfectly still and quiet.  
  
Sasuke sighed in relief. He sure could do with some peace and quiet.  
  
"Iruka-sensei, Iruka-sensei?" The subdued query of Naruto came out as slight as a whisper. Iruka stopped adjusting the board and turned to regard Naruto. "You know," the blond was saying, still trying to keep his volume as low as possible. "I'm just wondering... How come you're the one giving the briefing? You're not from here..."  
  
Taken aback by the sudden perception in his protege, Iruka was tongue-tied.  
  
"He's a Chuunin," Sasuke spoke up eventually, when it seemed like nobody else was going to, "he has platoon leader status, so technically speaking he /is/ qualified to lead us." Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
Turning wide-eyed to look at Sasuke, Naruto gaped. "Iruka-sensei is a Chuunin??" He almost yelled, the former care in keeping his volume down all but forgotten. "Isn't that the rank you achieve after you go through some test by dying in a forest 44 times and then taking a paper test with no questions?!" The boy had stood up by now and curled his fists up in excitement. "Wow!! And I thought you were just a boring, good-for-nothing bark-all-day-long laboratory caretaker who only knew how to nag and complain! Iruka-sensei, you're great!" There were sparkles around Naruto. He had just discovered something new and exciting.  
  
Iruka's evil grin, however, grew wider and wider with each word that came out from Naruto's mouth. "Naruto," he said in a tone that was calm but eerie, "if you have nothing better to add to the briefing, why don't you sit down and zip up before I send you back to the laboratory and chain you to the toilet bowl this time?" It was amazing how he could sound so sweet yet so frightening at the same time, but Naruto knew better than to negotiate when Iruka sounded like this. He instantly snapped his mouth shut and shook his head desperately. "That's a good boy," Iruka smiled nicely this time, instead of grinning. He turned back to the board behind him. "Now are we all ready for the briefing? We will start with or without Kakashi; for obvious reasons."  
  
The boys nodded.  
  
"Very good," Iruka nodded as well. "First of all, Naruto - welcome to the Taikou Youma Butai - or Taiyoubu for short." He walked towards the board and scratched with chalk the kanji for the Anti-Youma Brigade out in full. "Despite what the name otherwise suggests, the Taiyoubu is actually a faction of the Konoha police responsible for assisting Youma supportive of the village, and for weeding out antagonistic Youma that have either escaped from any one of the laboratories, or are natural Youma that proves to be of harm to the village."  
  
Already feeling bored, Sasuke leaned back into his seat. Although it had been a long time since he heard someone outline the Taiyoubu's point and purpose, it still left a bad aftertaste on his tongue whenever the story was mentioned. He had intended to just let Iruka's voice go on.  
  
Until Naruto's quiet question brought him to full attention.  
  
"Sensei," the blond had asked, tone unreadable, "why did old pops Hokage permit research and experiment on Youma in the first place? Isn't it a cruel thing to do?"  
  
Sasuke cast a semi-worried glance in Naruto's direction. Of all the Youma-Ningen he had met, this one certainly had the most surprises up his sleeve. None had dared to question the experiments before - the experiments that had preserved the village during the war and in effect, their lives. Naruto was either clearly crazy, or there was something really different about him.  
  
After a pause, Iruka smiled wistfully. "Konoha was in the middle of a war, Naruto. It was an intense, swift, and unforgiving war. At the pivotal point of the war, many ninjas came forward to suggest strategies for success. In the end, a young and talented shinobi by the name of Orochimaru was the one who submitted the winning lot."  
  
Naruto's mouth was wide open in an 'O'. "Is that the same Orochimaru who introduced the Hebi-Youma, snake-demons into the village?"  
  
Sasuke immediately flinched, and while Iruka chose to ignore it, Naruto glanced at his counterpart with curiosity.  
  
"Yes, Naruto, that's the one," Iruka waved slightly to get their attentions back. He did not elaborate more about the man in question, choosing to focus on his deeds instead. "... He pushed for a more offensive strategy - and he got it. He then introduced Youma-Ningen Jutsu; the art of giving a human demonic strength by selective infusion. Although brutal, his strategy tided us smoothly over the war," the Chuunin paused with a sigh. "Over time it was discovered that his techniques were all derived from very secluded forbidden Jutsus. That was not reason enough for the ultimate punishment, though. The last straw came when he attempted to assasinate the Third Hokage some years back. As it is, now he is no longer part of Konoha."  
  
"Then why are the experiments still being carried out?" Naruto immediately asked, showing that he had understood the situation, and that he had understood it /quite/ well. There was still, however, no indication in his voice or expression that betrayed the reason behind his strange enquiries. Of course, this either meant that he was very good at hiding himself, or that he was really, just very very curious.  
  
"Well," Iruka walked over the desk near the board he had been writing on. He did not seem offended, or even vaguely suspicious of Naruto's questions. "Konoha made a mistake when accepting Orochimaru's deal. We focused all our energy into the offensive, and it will take a long time before we can adjust it back. In the meantime, licensed scientists were ordered to continue to see how Youma research can aid the village. Too much time and effort, as well as lives, had been put into this for Konoha to withdraw completely," the man smiled ambiguously.  
  
"Not that it's stopped them from trying," Sasuke curtly interjected.  
  
"Huh?" Naruto turned immediately to blink at Sasuke. "Stopped who from trying what?" The blond leaned slightly closer when it appeared as if the other boy in the room was deliberately ignoring him. "Hey, bastard, I'm talking to you! Where'd all your manners fly to?!"  
  
"Naruto! Cut it out!" It was Iruka to the rescue again, and this time he threw a thick, black file into Naruto's face. "Take that back, and read it if you want. It should cover the history of the Taiyoubu and a bit about other related things. Now then," he tapped the board with the chalk in his hand impatiently. "Are you both ready to learn of your new mission?"  
  
Sasuke raised a hand. "Sir," he addressed Iruka politely. "For that part of the briefing, shouldn't we at least wait for Kakashi to come? He's the squad leader no matter what, after all."  
  
It was like there was a lightning struck Iruka all of a sudden. He froze in a picture-perfect frame of an icy smile. "Of course," and when he spoke, Naruto and Sasuke could hear icicles literally clinking onto the ground. "I would gladly listen to that suggestion, Sasuke. If it wasn't that he is /already/ four hours late. He was supposed to be here /four hours ago/ to brief /me/ on my current responsibilities. /He/ is supposed to be standing here and welcoming Naruto and me," the smile slowly vanished into a venomous scowl, "and not the other way round. Do you think I like this any better than you do?" He directed his smile again at Sasuke, who blinked in shock and meekly shook his head. "Good. Now be quiet and we'll finish the briefing."  
  
Taking the resulting silence to be consent, Iruka turned around to start to write something else on the board. As soon as he did, however, the door snapped open loudly and, leaning against the frame was the nonchalant figure of Kakashi, porn in one hand and a careless wave in the other.  
  
"Hello there everybody," the silver-haired man mumbled through his mask. "On my way here I saw two monkeys fighting in the corridor, so I had to break them up. After that I was so badly injured I had to rush to the first aid--"  
  
"LIAR!!" Naruto leapt to his feet and pointed rudely at the Jounin, who widened one eye in slight surprise. Soon, however, he was back to grinning idiotically. He dignified Naruto with no reply, choosing to make his way to where Iruka was.  
  
Iruka saluted him unhappily. "You're late, Kakashi-san." Again, the silver-haired man chose silence as a reply. He smiled and tilted his head to a side.  
  
When Iruka respectfully stepped aside and relinquished the podium, Kakashi took over. He turned around, leaned against the chalkboard and folded his arms across his chest. "All right you both," he gazed lazily at the two younger ninja - one of whom was wide-eyed with anticipation, the other of which was making his disinterest blatantly obvious. Kakashi sighed. His soldiers always, ALWAYS had to be the strangest of the lot. "The mission this time is rank A. We are to locate and capture a low-ranking Mizu-Youma, a water-demon, who has evidently escaped after a botched lab experiment in the Hidden Mist. Of course, the Daimyou of Mist refuses to acknowledge the existence of the escaped Youma, although he has given us expressed permission to do as we please with the being. Whatsmore, ever since his appearance, the Mizu-Youma has struck at or otherwise injured seven of the Konoha villagers - most of whom have not yet recovered from their coma. No doctor has been able to tell what has happened to them, except that their minds are under some sort of hypnotic control... Therefore, before the Mizu-Youma claims anymore victims, we are to capture him. Alive if possible - dead if necessary."  
  
Kakashi paused from the mission introduction to see that Naruto's eyes now sparkled brighter than ever before, if it was even possible. Sasuke had perked up slightly at the thought of a challenging mission. "Any questions so far?" He prompted, before he lost their interest.  
  
"Yes, sir!" Naruto quickly raised a hand. As soon as Kakashi acknowledged him with a raising of his only visible brow, the blond sputtered on, "Where do we find this Mizu-Youma thing, sensei? Do we need anything special to defeat him? How come nobody's managed to capture him yet, if he's a low-ranking Youma like you said? And why is the mission Rank A if that demon is low-ranking? This is all so strange!"  
  
While Iruka shot Naruto a stern, disapproving glare, Kakashi glowed with a smile. "Don't chide him, Iruka-sensei," he said plainly, and the pony-tailed Chuunin blinked in surprise. "I'd rather prefer my subordinates ask me questions than sit and glower at nothing," he was still smiling at nobody in particular, but Sasuke caught on. The boy snapped about and narrowed his eyes at his superior in indignance.  
  
"I'm sorry if Naruto sounded rude, still," Iruka patiently explained. "His manners are lacking, atrocious and infamously well known in the research faculties."  
  
"But Iruka-sensei! Those idiots in the Lab deserved every single word of insult I hurled at them!" Naruto protested loudly, slamming his palms on the table. Iruka looked like he was about to rebut, but Kakashi stopped them both before things escalated further.  
  
"Hang in there now, buddies," the silver-haired Jounin Inspector held his hands out and shook his head. "I will /not/ tolerate internal strife in my department, between my subordinates. None whatsoever." The provoked atmosphere instantly simmered, as both Naruto and Iruka reclined. "The most important thing to being Shinobi - the key to staying alive in our messed up world," the Jounin continued, "is teamwork." There was a dramatic pause. "Remember that, all of you."  
  
"... Well?" Sasuke quickly followed up, slightly frustrated that the meeting was dragging far too long for his liking. "Are you going to tell us anything else about the mission yet?"  
  
"Ah, my dearest little Sasuke," Kakashi smiled again. "Never grew out of being a pissy, impatient little brat, that he never did." Ignoring Sasuke's Glare of Doom, he turned to the Chuunin standing beside him and asked, "Iruka-sensei, have you got the files ready?"  
  
Startled at the sudden attention, Iruka gaped. Then a look of remembrance flashed across his face. "Oh!" He quickly dove to the desk nearby and searched its drawers. "Yes, sir. I have them right here." A little while more of digging produced two wads of documents in clear folders, ready to be perused. He handed them over to Kakashi.  
  
"In these files," Kakashi said, while taking the files from Iruka, "are all the currently available information about the Mizu-Youma - his known stats, his known characteristics, his known modus operandi, things like that. As you can see," Kakashi shuffled with the few pieces of paper in the folder, "there is /not/ a lot of information available. Those who are able to tell us anything at all are either unconscious or in Hidden Mist. The main reason why this is a rank-A mission is because of the severe lack of information, and also because of its potentially disrupting nature. The Mizu-Youma strikes randomly, stealthily and effectively. Exercise great care and caution in this mission as usual. The Taiyoubu has no hard and fast rules for you to keep when going about your investigations, as long as it doesn't involve bodily mutilations and, or, brinks of death. But there is one thing that you must bear in mind for this mission."  
  
The air in the room seemed to dip, as Kakashi's expression turned serious.  
  
"You are not to operate individually. At any time. For any reason whatsoever."  
  
Both Naruto and Sasuke looked at Kakashi, their expressions hard or impossible to read.  
  
"Is that understood?"  
  
It was Sasuke who moved first, after an agonizing silence. He rose from his seat, reaching over to grab a folder from the table. "Yes, yes, I understand," he turned to leave the room. "But that doesn't apply to toilet breaks or lunch sessions, does it?"  
  
Without waiting for a reply, he exited the room.  
  
The trio still in the room looked at his retreating form with varying degrees of interest.  
  
"Aah" Kakashi scratched the back of his head. He threw the other folder down on the table before Naruto and sighed. "Sometimes I really feel like strangling him. With a nice, thick and long piano wire."  
  
Iruka could only smile consolingly at the exasperated guardian. The sound of a chair being dragged across the floor alerted him that Naruto had stood up as well. He turned to look at the blond youth, noticing with slight concern that his head was bowed.  
  
"I..." Naruto's voice was strangely quiet. "... I'm going to get some lunch too." Picking the clear folder up from the table, he spun around and exited the room, footsteps suddenly louder and clearer than any of his former outbursts.  
  
"Na-" Iruka tried to call out, but was stopped by Kakashi. As he turned to glance questioningly at the Jounin, the last of Naruto slipped out of the room quietly. "Yes... ?"  
  
"Let him be," Kakashi muttered, eye still affixed on the door in deep ponder. "He doesn't want your help all the time."  
  
Immediately, Iruka flushed an angry red at the implications. Quickly composing himself, however, he looked away at a random spot on the floor and held his tongue. After what seemed like a long time, he sighed in defeat.  
  
"I understand."  
  
  
  
  
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23/8/2004  
Part 2 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	3. Chapter Two

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Chapter Two  
  
  
  
Naruto took a long stroll towards where he remembered the canteen was. It had been years - he had lost count, since he last stepped out of the laboratory and into the police headquarters. Now that it was nearly lunchtime, there were scores of officers and workers alike streaming into the common corridors from their offices and workrooms.  
  
Some of the ones that were his age threw him curious glances, while others that were older directed hate-filled glares at him. To the friendlier ones he grinned and waved. To the hostile ones he stuck his tongue out and made a face.  
  
Knowing that he would only be here for one mission saddened him slightly. He was sure that if he stayed longer, he would be able to meet up with more people who would acknowledge him, despite his rather unsightly record and heritage.  
  
The canteen had not shifted from its original spot, although it looked slightly bigger and cleaner than the last time Naruto had seen it. He stepped in, teeming with anticipation, glancing about himself at the throng. He wondered fleetingly if he could find Sasuke, but dismissed the idea as soon as it came. There were many faces in the sea of people there - happy ones, angry ones, blank ones and sad ones. But there was no Sasuke. Slightly disappointed, Naruto wordlessly bought some sandwiches and shuffled to a lonely corner booth.  
  
From his seat, he could see the many people going about with their daily lunch lives. The roar of their voices accompanied him, though only in the background and nothing more - just like it had always been from times past.  
  
He wished there was a voice in the crowd that was only for him. He wondered how that would feel like.  
  
As time slowly flowed on, he started to ponder about many things he was not able to in the laboratory - since they heavily sedated him into near-unconsciousness. Doubtless, his foremost thought was about Sasuke. Not that there was anything about /him/ that was worth any salt, but he could not deny the fact that it was Sasuke who brought him out from the torture that was the Laboratory. He was not an ungrateful person - he was just, as Iruka had mentioned, simply too unused to human contact to respond exemplarily. Sighing into his sandwich, he mumbled something incoherent to himself. He may not be a very happy Younin, but that didn't give Sasuke the right to act like a jerk either!  
  
Turning his eyes to observe more of the world around him, Naruto found that he was blocked by the trunk of someone's body. His eyes scrolled upwards. He could hardly bite back his surprise. "Shikamaru!"  
  
"Yo!" The young Chuunin officer saluted lazily with one hand, the other hand stuffed snugly into his pocket. "Where's Prince Frozen?" His eyes darted about the vicinity.  
  
"Prince Frozen?" Naruto was confused. Then realisation struck him and he had to stop himself from grinning a little too maniacally. "Ooh, you mean the pain-in-the-ass Sasuke? I don't know. Haven't seen him since the meeting."  
  
"Hmmm..." Shikamaru hummed, taking a seat on the bench opposite Naruto, surprising the boy. Naruto shifted slightly backwards, as if he was trying to slink into the cushion on the chair. Noticing this, Shikamaru leaned forward and tried not to laugh. "Relax, Naruto. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm not your signatory, yes, but believe me, it's far too troublesome to go around hurting Younins than it is to stay in their good books." He saw Naruto staring at him with confusion.  
  
"Really?" The blond said after a while. "But Iruka-sensei always tells me that only my signatory wouldn't harm me. Everybody else couldn't be trusted..."  
  
"Yes," Shikamaru nodded, "because the rules forbid your signatory from hurting you. I don't know about anyone else, but you can be sure I'm not going to hurt you in any way, form or manner." He sighed. "You worked with me in a mission before, haven't you? Stop being so uptight, Naruto," he sighed again. "It's very troublesome talking to you when you're so tensed up."  
  
Naruto considered the matter for a while more, then brightened up considerably. He grinned at Shikamaru. "Hey, you're right! Surely not /everybody/ out there in the world is after me! I should stop being so suspicious! I don't wanna be able to hang around Sasuke /only/ anyway," he made a face. "He hardly ever says three words in a row without insulting me!"  
  
"I thought you guys are partners from the same department?" Shikamaru commented offhandedly. This made Naruto frown.  
  
"Yeah right!" The blond grumbled loudly. "I bet he'd rather see me dead and in three pieces in his mailbox or something! I don't even know why he signed me out in the first place!" He made a growl with his throat.  
  
"That superior of his probably had something to do with it," Shikamaru waved nonchalantly in reply. "He's the one who can't stop talking about 'teamwork', 'teamwork' - so he probably just wanted to get Sasuke to exercise a bit of camaraderie with someone else, you know?"  
  
The blond was engulfed by an unusual silence. Head lowered, he mumbled, "I see."  
  
Shikamaru shot him a dark, knowing glance. "But," the dark-haired boy closed his eyes, stretched, and leaned back against the cushioned bench, "believe me when I say this, Naruto." The blond perked up slightly at the important-sounding tone. "He may seem that way, but Sasuke does /not/ want to see his partners dead, in pieces, or otherwise stuffed in his mailbox." He shrugged. "That means you too, Naruto."  
  
Of course, the blond was anything but convinced. He leaned forward, about to question Shikamaru, when the boy raised a hand and hooted down the hall, "Chouji! Over here! Over here!"  
  
Naruto turned in the direction of Shikamaru's shout. Waddling down the lane towards their table was a rather big-sized teenager, stocked from hand to elbow up to shoulder with snacks, cakes, dessert and assorted other sweet foods the canteen sold. The blond could feel a sweatdrop forming, all the more so as the boy Shikamaru had said was 'Chouji' came closer.  
  
The minute Chouji reached the table, he slammed all his wares onto the desk with a loud crash. This movement upset some of the liquids also on the trays, but otherwise he was eased of his burden. The chubby boy sighed with relief. "Hey, Shikamaru," he wasted no time in striking up a conversation, "have you heard about that new BBQ restaurant they just set up across the street? Let's go there after duty today!"  
  
"Urgh," Shikamaru shook his head in mock disbelief - exasperated but not frustrated. "The day you stop thinking about food is the day I start doing something about that troublesome hole in my roof... which I really should but going up there with all the tools is just so damned troublesome..."  
  
"Haha!" Chouji guffawed. He noticed an extra pair of eyes on him, and turned to look at Naruto. "Who are you?" Chouji asked innocently, while Naruto shrank slightly back into his seat. Shikamaru may be acceptably nice to him, but it didn't mean that his friends would be as well. Iruka's words of caution still burned deeply in his mind.  
  
Nevertheless, seeing that Shikamaru was shooting him expectant glances, he mustered up courage and grinned widely at Chouji. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! And I'm going to be the next Hokage, so you better remember that name properly!"  
  
"Never heard of an idiot becoming Hokage before, though," Shikamaru mumbled in a muffled whisper, before Chouji could reply. "But if it does happen, remember to retire me early, okay? With a nice, big and fat retirement package. Yes, that'll be nice."  
  
"You don't believe me!" Naruto whined. "I /am/ going to be the Hokage!" He furrowed his brows with determination and clenched his fists. "It's been my dream since I was young. It's the only thing I've been living for all this time."  
  
Caught off guard at the sudden grit, Shikamaru scrutinised the blond carefully. Chouji simply stared with a mix of curiosity and wonder.  
  
"You can dream what you want, as long as you don't trouble me..." Shikamaru finally said, shifting further into the booth and gesturing for Chouji to take the seat beside him. The chubbier boy plopped himself down heavily.  
  
"Naruto, huh?" Chouji started laying out his food while mumbling. "Which department are you in? Traffic? Investigation? Underground?"  
  
Noticing the mood had lightened due to Chouji's fiddling around with his food, Naruto became less tensed. "Err..." he scratched the whiskers on his cheek and looked away. "... the... Taihen... bu? Daimyoubu? Sorry, I can't remember..." His eyes narrowed into lines and he put a hand at the back of his head sheepishly. "Kakashi-sensei was using so many difficult words."  
  
At the mention of Kakashi's name, Chouji almost choked on his apple. He thumped his chest furiously while the other two boys watched on with slight horror and fascination. Finally, he managed to swallow whatever was stuck. He gasped, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve and turned back to Naruto. "Kakashi-sensei? As in, /the/ Hatake Kakashi? You're in his department?"  
  
"..." Naruto was not sure if he wanted to reply. "... yes... ?"  
  
"It's the Anti-Youma Brigade; the Taikou Youma Butai," Shikamaru sighed from his seat. "Taiyoubu for short. At least remember the name of your department, Naruto?"  
  
"Bah," the blond unwrapped another sandwich. "It's not like I'm going to be there for long."  
  
"But-but," Chouji had finally recovered from his reverie and was gorging himself with potato chips while trying to speak. "It's the Taiyoubu! The coolest department in the force! You go around subduing mythical Youma with near-forbidden Jutsus! How much cooler can you get?"  
  
"Oh." Naruto's eyes darkened slightly. He blinked at Chouji. "You really think hunting Youma down is cool?"  
  
The question itself was innocent enough, though the atmosphere had suddenly gotten serious. Chouji stopped stuffing chips into his mouth and munched on the ones already inside, trying to guess the purpose of Naruto's question.  
  
"It's not nice to hunt anyone down at all," he eventually said, calmly. "It's when they threaten the peace of the village and the people who matter to us that action has to be taken I guess. Honestly, there's no real difference between bad Youma and bad humans." Chouji upturned his lips. "They're all criminals who should be locked up for all the bad things they did!"  
  
Naruto's blue eyes returned to it's original lustre. He stared openly in surprise. It was the first time he heard someone saying there was no difference between Youma and Ningen, and he was intrigued.  
  
"Anyway," Shikamaru shrugged, "the both of us are in the patrol department if you need us." He relaxed into the seat and watched Chouji swallow his food. "Say," he suddenly turned his attention to the strangely silent Naruto and asked, "do you wanna join us for the barbeque shop tonight? After work?"  
  
Obviously surprised at the invitation, Naruto's head jerked up from his sandwich. His eyes were so wide, they almost reached his ears. Quickly blinking so that they would not see his off-guard expression for too long, Naruto grinned and answered, "I would! I would! I would... but wait..." He frowned while putting a finger on his chin. "Drat! I forgot! I'm supposed to have ramen with Iruka-sensei tonight! So..." He pouted at the two boys opposite him. "Sorry... maybe next time!"  
  
"Pfft," Chouji managed to mutter through his mouthful of potato chips. "BBQ is better than ramen any time!!"  
  
Immediately, Naruto froze. He brought his traumatised, distraught eyes up to the chubbier boy and whispered in horror, "You don't know what you're saying!" He slammed his palms on the table and stood. "Ramen!! You've /never/ had real food until you had /ramen/!!!"  
  
Chouji laughed heartily, still chomping away. "I'm not that particular over food, but ramen! Really! Come with us to the BBQ shop today and we'll have some real food! I'll even bring potato chips!!" The chubby boy stopped munching to hold out the almost conquered packet of chips to Naruto. "Want some now?"  
  
"Ew, gross!" Naruto blanched, trying to lean back, as far away as he could. "You've been dripping drool in it all this time and still you offer it to other people? Yucks!"  
  
Chouji shrugged. "I guess I'll eat it all then!"  
  
Before Naruto could say another word and thus initiate a long argument, Shikamaru cut in, "Okay both you big babies, will you two just shut up and let me have my lunch in peace? One hour isn't exactly a very long time, you know."  
  
"Grr!" Naruto growled, but otherwise did not restart the quarrel. He concentrated instead on his half-finished sandwich. Shikamaru was right, he realised. Lunch was only /this/ long, and so he had to cherish every moment of it!  
  
"What rank are you now, Naruto?" Shikamaru quipped, after what seemed like a long silence. He had finished his food some time ago and was staring into space. Even as he asked the question, he did not look at Naruto in the face. His lazy eyes were instead latched upon the window beside them overlooking the sky.  
  
"Err," Naruto pondered, shifting his eyes about. "Tokubetsu Genin still. Haven't changed from the last time I got my Special Genin license. What about you?"  
  
"We both rose to Chuunin a couple of years ago," Chouji's voice came out muffled, but proud. He smiled even wider when Naruto gave a low gasp of admiration. "We were on the same Genin team, too! Shikamaru got promoted first, though. I think the judges were impressed with how fast he could run away!"  
  
"Ooh, right," Naruto's eyes narrowed tauntingly. "I had first hand experience of that myself, personally."  
  
The rustling of potato chips stopped, and Chouji blinked questioningly at Naruto. "You have?"  
  
"I partnered him for a minor mission once," Shikamaru explained. "When I just got promoted and had to take on slightly more dangerous missions, they asked me to take a Youma-Ningen along. It was too troublesome to look through all the notes, so I just closed my eyes and drew a name from the lot. Tadah! Uzumaki Naruto."  
  
Naruto stuck a tongue out at him.  
  
"That wasn't a very intelligent way of choosing a Youma," Chouji remarked.  
  
"Sometimes it's too troublesome to be intelligent," Shikamaru remarked right back. "Well, Naruto was a great help, although things didn't always go the way we wanted it. When I next had to get another Youma-Ningen to partner me, I tried to apply for Naruto again but was rejected." The boy glanced at Naruto, who was as surprised as Chouji was. "I don't suppose you know why, Naruto?"  
  
The blond remained silent for a long while. "I..." He eventually said, while blinking. "... I don't know. Actually I don't remember ever stepping out of the lab after that mission with you..."  
  
"Naruto!" The shout was loud and compelling, causing all three heads to turn to stare. It was Iruka, and he stomped up to the table, shaking his head. "I knew you'd be lazing around somewhere here. Come on, we have work to do." Noticing the other boys for the first time, Iruka smiled at them. "Shikamaru! Chouji! It's good to see you again!"  
  
"You know them, sensei?" Naruto blurted out loud.  
  
"/Know/ them?" Iruka was still smiling, although his voice was now almost a low growl. Shikamaru and Chouji tried to shift as far as they could from the dangerous Chuunin. "They tortured me for six. Whole. Years in the Ninja Academy. I would be /lying/ if I said I didn't know them. Isn't that right, boys?" He directed his question to the duo, still trying to shrink away. Quickly, they both nodded. "Good. Now if you're done here, Naruto, let's head back. We have a lot of work to catchup on."  
  
"Yes, sensei," Naruto glumly said, standing up to follow the already leaving Iruka. "See you, guys!" He cheerily waved goodbye to Shikamaru and Chouji.  
  
Chouji pulled his hand out from his chip bag and waved. "See you!" He greeted back with a wide grin.  
  
"Naruto," Shikamaru, on the other hand, sounded slightly more serious - although he still had that lazy drawl. "I don't wanna scare you, but watch your back carefully, okay? Watch it very very carefully. Because you never know when things will happen."  
  
Naruto paused and turned. He shot Shikamaru a quizzical look over his shoulder.  
  
The boy's face was grave. "You never know what kind of things will happen... especially when you're in the Taiyoubu."  
  
There was no time for Naruto to inquire more, except to stare at Shikamaru. Iruka shouted for him to hurry up from the other side of the hall, and Naruto found himself subconsciously obeying - rather eagerly.  
  
He was halfway gone from the sight of the other two boys when a voice from inside aroused.  
  
/What are you running away from?/  
  
It asked.  
  
  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
23/8/2004  
Part 3 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	4. Chapter Three

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
Against the Tide  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
Chapter Three  
  
  
  
Naruto dare say he had never seen so much paper in his life.  
  
"You take the left pile, and I'll take the right," Iruka commanded smoothly, not raising a single eyebrow at the incredible amount of paper stacked ceiling high in the room. Before he could move off yet, however, Naruto screeched at him.  
  
"Iruka-sensei!! What in the world is going on here? What're all these... things supposed to be?!"  
  
"Don't fret so much, Naruto," Iruka had already started moving his self-assigned pile around. "We're in this department, we earn our keep. Stop complaining and help me move them all into the shelves!"  
  
Twisting his face into an unhappy pout, Naruto picked up the nearest pile of files and trotted to the nearly empty shelves by the walls. "But why?" He whined. "They didn't sign me out just to help out in spring-cleaning did they?? Why couldn't they get someone else to clean the stupid room up? And why is it so untidy in the first place?? Phew! And I thought /I/ was bad enough!"  
  
"Kakashi-san and Sasuke's both gone to see Hokage-sama," Iruka mentioned, transporting another stack of papers into the shelf. "They need to submit the application personally before your official employment..." He jerked to a stop with an aghast look on his face. He then turned to Naruto and smiled sheepishly. "Err... yeah."  
  
"Personal submission to the old guy Hokage?" Naruto's face, however, betrayed nothing but plain confusion. "Hah, if the old guy wants to give himself more things to do, I suppose I can't stop him. But heheh!!" He swept his thumb across his nose galiantly. "That means I must be next on his list for the Hokage title! Hah! I knew it! I /am/ going to be the next Hokage!"  
  
A thick ring file whacked the blond smartly across his head. "Put that one in the clear shelf next to you, please," Iruka could hardly stop his vein of anger from showing. "If half the energy that goes to your mouth gets to your brain, you would have been issued your Tokubetsu Chuunin license by now!"  
  
"Sensei! It's not my fault the judges are /biased/ against me!" Naruto retorted, shelving the ring file away as requested. "Anyway, even if Kakashi-sensei and the bastard Sasuke are both away, why can't anyone else from the department help out or something? You'd think that a department as popular as the Taiyoubu'd have enough wannabes trying to gain favour through little acts, no?"  
  
Iruka continued working, his back against the complaining Naruto. He stacked three large boxes into a pile and stopped, a hand lingering over the cardboard.  
  
To Naruto, he anticipated that his guardian was going to speak. But for the longest time, he heard nothing, not even a grunt, from the man. Finally deciding that Iruka was perhaps merely resting, Naruto moved to take care of the other files near him.  
  
"There are only two serving in the Taiyoubu," Iruka suddenly said, quietly. He slowly resumed stacking papers one on top of the other. The unbreakable aura of slight despondency that surrounded him did not escape Naruto. "I think... it's been like that since what happened five years ago... since then..." Iruka trailed.  
  
The duo lapsed into a deep, disturbing silence.  
  
"How come you seem to know so much about everything, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto turned his nose up in semi-disgust. "I can swear on my seal that you spend just as much time as I do in the laboratory, but you seem to know twenty times more about the outside world than I do!"  
  
This time, Iruka turned around. He shook his head. "Did you read that report I passed you at the briefing?" He waited. Seeing that there was no positive response from his protege, he sighed. "Knew it. You should take some time out to read it. It should make you more in the know. You can't always depend on oral reports to know everything, Naruto. And after we're done here, you can check out the blue shelf over there," Iruka pointed at a lonely blue sliding cabinet perched at a dark corner of the room. There was an uchiwa fan imprinted on the front, but otherwise, the cabinet looked boring. "That cabinet," Iruka explained, "contains the mission reports of the Taiyoubu for the past five years or so, since the change in management."  
  
"Why the hell would I want to read those for?" Naruto griped, while shuffling some papers into a neat stack. "So that Sasuke can get an ego boost? I think not!"  
  
"It's really up to you," Iruka smiled warmly at the younger Ninja, despite feeling slightly hurt at the blond's outburst. "They say that action speaks loud than words, after all. I think you may learn a few things from Sasuke's actions in those reports."  
  
Naruto snorted, then grumbled under his breath. He did, however, steal a few wondering glances at the blue cabinet.  
  
They spent the next few hours in companiable silence, shuffling papers and shelving files.  
  
When at last, they cleared away enough files and paperwork so that the meeting table and chairs in the middle of the room could be seen, Sasuke and Kakashi returned from their meeting with the Hokage. "Yo!" Kakashi had greeted upon entering the room, his visible eye upturned. "How's everything going?"  
  
Iruka almost dropped the pile of papers he was carrying, whereas Naruto - who had been leaning against the uchiwa shelf, fanning himself with a few wads of paper, merely glanced up in boredom at them. "Hey look." The boy deadpanned in a low monotone. "They're back, Iruka-sensei."  
  
"I /know/ that, Naruto," Iruka frowned at the blond. He tried to maintain his smile. "Welcome back, Kakashi-san," the pony-tailed man mumbled, this time slightly nervous. "I hope everything with Hokage-sama went well?"  
  
The silver-haired man did not answer, choosing instead to examine the by now slightly neater room. He walked towards the table and sat down on one of the chairs surrounding it. "Nice job so far, Iruka-sensei," he remarked randomly.  
  
"Thank you?" Iruka replied, with a literal question mark hanging over his head. "What did Hokage-sama say?" The caretaker pressed on.  
  
There was a lazy wave on the part of Kakashi. "Hokage-sama said okay." He mumbled through his mask. In the next second, his beloved orange book was in his hand and he began to slowly blush a pale pink flipping through its pages.  
  
"Did he say anything else?" Iruka attempted to control the twitch of frustration in his brow. "And Kakashi-san, it's not nice to read that in front of the kids."  
  
"True, true," Kakashi agreed, although he did not take his eyes off the book and did not seem like he was going to keep it anywhere concealed. If anything, the perverted blush on his face deepened. "I wonder why the kids are still around then?"  
  
Previously nothing but a statue of stoic silence near the doorway, Sasuke got the hint instantly. He stood straight and spun around. "I'll be at the rooftop," he informed darkly, before stalking away.  
  
All eyes were upon Sasuke until he turned the corner and could be seen no more. The room descended into silence.  
  
With a sigh, Kakashi rose to full height, keeping his book away in a puff of smoke. He could always count on Sasuke to sour the most conducive of moods. Turning to Naruto, he explained, "Naruto, I need to talk to Iruka-sensei alone about something. So if you don't mind, go join Sasuke at the balcony or just head somewhere outside, okay? We'll come for you when we're done."  
  
At this juncture, Naruto finally figured out what Kakashi had been trying to tell them. He gaped and in a loud voice said, "/This/ was what the hell all that porn reading, adult-talk thingie was about?!"  
  
Plastering his visible facade with a silly smile, Kakashi nodded. "That's right!"  
  
"Argh!" Naruto grabbed at his hair. "I don't understand adults! Sheesh!" Sticking his tongue out at the two older men, he turned and hightailed out, clunking along the route he had last seen Sasuke going in.  
  
Kakashi blinked after the blond with incredulity, and Iruka scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry. I think he never grew out of being twelve, what with all the time he spent sitting around, sedated in the lab..." The voice turned sad.  
  
Not entirely oblivious to Iruka's slight depression, Kakashi nevertheless ignored it. "Whatever age he is, as long as he delivers," he sat back down on the chair and gestured for Iruka to follow suit, "I'm fine and dandy. Now then, shall we get down to business?"  
  
Iruka eyed the Jounin suspiciously. He grabbed a chair from nearby and sat down, his eyes never leaving Kakashi in case he could read something from his body language. There was none. Eventually he relaxed into the chair and gave a light shrug of shoulders. "Yes, sir. Absolutely ready for business."  
  
  
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Wandering along the corridors of the storey, Naruto was struck at how empty the place felt. He could clearly hear his every step reverberating off the walls and into his ears, even long after he had taken two, three steps more. Although not completely dark, the corridors were only very dimly lit - making it seem hostile even in the bright afternoon sun. Twice Naruto peered curiously into some of the rooms situated along the hallway. Twice he was disappointed to find nothing but darkness, dust, and a couple of scared spiders. Eventually giving up, he walked towards a clear window, overlooking the compounds outside. The window was sealed by the sides and edges, but the glass itself was intact and, after a bit of wiping, transparent enough to see through.  
  
Naruto gasped at the scene below.  
  
The entire field that belonged to the police department - for whatever reason they needed it for, was visible in one sweeping glance. Beyond that, the rooftops of some of the taller buildings in the villages could be seen as well. Further down all of that, was the Great Konoha Forest itself. It stretched on for as far as the eye could see, and then vanished into the clear blue skies beyond.  
  
Naruto breathed with excitement. "Wow!" He muttered under his breath. "So cool!!" Quickly looking around himself, he eventually scampered down the corridor again, this time with renewed vigor and a fresh new purpose in mind. Very quickly, he found the dusty panel that said 'Roof Access', and without checking if it was locked - which fortunately it was not, pushed it wide open and stormed up the musty, dusty stairwell.  
  
"Whee!!" Naruto sang out to nobody in particular, bursting out into the afternoon sun from the dark column of staircase. The rooftop door flew open noisily, crashing against the side in a splintered mess. Naruto grinned widely and quickly ran near to the edge of the roof, leaning dangerously over the walled parapet so that almost half his body lingered in a precarious position. His bright eyes sparkled with unbridled amazement and joy. When was the last time he was able to stand on such a tall place to take in the sights of an entire village? He doubted there ever was a time.  
  
"This is just so cool!" Naruto spoke up again, to himself, not the slightest bit embarrassed. After all, he had been talking to himself for years already. Nothing new here. Holding a hand over his forehead, he grinned in a random direction. "Woah! That looks like the spot Iruka-sensei used to always bring me training in! I hope he knows about this place! It'd be great if we could have a picni-woah!!"  
  
Naruto's voice tripped. And he tripped as well. Before long, he found himself hanging over the parapet by a mere finger, ready to tip over anytime. He gave a strangled yelp, realising belatedly that in his excitement, he had leaned too far out and was now in danger of falling all the way to the ground beneath. He gulped. This was not going to be pretty.  
  
As he felt himself falling over, he quickly made a Chakra-molding seal. As his long-unused Chakra slowly concentrated on the soles of his feet, he quickly looked for areas on the adjacent wall that he could cling to. Exciting as it was, Iruka would probably scream if he suddenly walked in with a bloodied head after falling ten storeys from the police building. And he didn't think he was in the mood for yet another one of Iruka's screeching lectures. Yet.  
  
He was surprised, however, to find himself suddenly suspended upside down in midair. This was surprising because he was out of reach from anywhere on the adjacent wall to have actually clung on to it. Wondering what was going on, he glanced upwards, just in time to see the horrified face of Sasuke looking down on him with obvious stress and anxiety. "What..." The Uchiha's voice was trembling slightly. "... the hell do you think you're doing, you clumsy oaf?!" The grip he had on Naruto's ankle tightened, and the blond could literally feel him shake with anger. "I /know/ you're stupid, but did you have to /prove/ it to me by falling to your death from the rooftop of the building, for crying out loud?! Do you /know/ what you're doing?? Is there nothing but air in between your thick skull?! Are you-... !!"  
  
The boy was cut short when a pissed Naruto shook his ankle free from Sasuke's grasp, using the momentum to stick onto the wall beside him with his Chakra filled palms and feet. He then glared up at Sasuke, sticking his tongue out. "Gosh, you're an even worst nag than Iruka-sensei." He leapt away from clinging onto the wall and jumped easily back onto the rooftop, behind the stunned Sasuke. They both turned around to face each other, and Naruto continued, "I'm not a big baby, idiot. I can take care of myself! And it's not like you /really/ care if I die or not, anyway I see it," the blond made a face again. A look of pained sadness flashed by Sasuke's face when Naruto said that, but the Uchiha quickly replaced it with well-trained annoyance.  
  
"I /do/ care if someone from my department is going to die because of his /idiocy/!" He snarled, sounding a bit too nasty even to himself. He knew it was his defence mechanism at work again, but he found himself unable to control it everytime. "What were you trying to prove anyway?! That you're really nothing more than a brat and a moron?!"  
  
"Oh bloody shut up, you arrogant prick!" Naruto stamped his foot and yelled, drowning out Sasuke's panicked questions. "I already /said/ I can take care of myself! If you don't think I can even bloody conjure up enough Chakra to cling onto walls or break a damned fall, then why the hell did you sign me out in the first place?! I'm sick and tired of your stupid temper tantrums! The only reason why you're in the Taiyoubu at all must be because you hate the Youma, right?! The only reason why you're even /thinking/ of working together with me, a nasty, stupid Younin is because Kakashi-sensei asked you to, right??! If you really hate me so much, do both you and me a favour and terminate our contract immediately, why don't you?!" The blond knew he was ranting and raving by now, but he didn't care. He hadn't felt so seriously peeved in a long time. "Kakashi-sensei may be able to make you to do things, but you just have to say the word and we'll never have to see each other again! We've only just! Met! And you already won't stop getting on my case for the most trivial things! How the hell are we supposed to go on missions at this rate?! How--"  
  
"You don't understand!" Sasuke interrupted, waving his hands about in frustration. "You've never seen the world besides your occasional mission outside the laboratory! You don't know anything! You don't know anything about the Taiyoubu! You don't know anything about /me/! So stop talking like you have every right to be angry at me!" Sasuke paused to glare sternly at Naruto. "Because you don't know shit!"  
  
As Sasuke turned to storm away, Naruto's eyes dissolved into an angry red tint. "Well, you know what, bastard?" He shouted after the retreating figure of Sasuke. "You don't know shit about me either! So speak for yourself before you say anything next time! Jerk! Bastard!" He spat, but Sasuke was no longer within sight. "...bastard..." Naruto repeated, softer this time. His head was bowed and his fists were clenched.  
  
They both knew that the other was right.  
  
Neither of them truly understood what the other had ever gone through before, to be able to really comment.  
  
  
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That night, Naruto found himself wandering back to the room with the mountain loads of paperwork - opening the uchiwa shelf to stare at some of the mission reports there. And in his own abode, Sasuke had picked up a book about the history of Youma-Ningen and the Kyuubi before he even realised it.  
  
  
  
  
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23/8/2004  
Part 4 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	5. Chapter Four

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
Against the Tide  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
Chapter Four  
  
  
  
They met at the entrance of the police building the next morning, like they did the day before. Sasuke had been the first to arrive. He was leaning against the wall beside the door, looking at the ground, when he saw a pair of feet slowly shuffling towards him.  
  
Glancing slightly upwards, he was not surprised to see the slightly pouty face of Naruto, about a foot away. The blond looked at the Uchiha straight in the eye and was, to his astonishment, the first to turn away with a slight frown. He looked like he had something to say, but was not able to find the right words.  
  
Sighing softly, Sasuke pushed himself off the wall. Turning so that his back faced Naruto, he said quietly, "Come on... Kakashi's waiting to brief us on our first mission objective."  
  
Those words alone appeared to clear the tension between the duo. Sasuke moved towards the building and went inside without a second word or a glance back, but Naruto was anything but offended.  
  
The blond grinned brightly.  
  
"Bring it on!" He declared loudly, following in Sasuke's lead.  
  
  
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"Your first objective," the calm, composed voice of Iruka greeted the boys, as soon as they entered the meeting room they had been using the day before and sat down, "is to visit one of the victims of the Mizu-Youma. Her details are in this file..." The Chuunin caretaker paused to slide the black folder across the table, until Sasuke stopped it and picked it up. "Find out what you can from her and report back by this evening. If there are no questions, you may commence immediately."  
  
Quickly, Naruto's hand shot out. Iruka tossed him a glance, and the boy jumped onto his feet. "Iruka-sensei, why are you giving us the briefing today again? Where's Kakashi-sensei?"  
  
A look of pained resignation passed over Iruka's face.  
  
Before he could reply, however, Sasuke cut in with a snort. "Naruto is right. With all due respect, sensei, a Chuunin who doesn't officially belong to the department shouldn't have access to the mission objectives. It's in the rules."  
  
"I really wish I had the answer to your question, Naruto, Sasuke," Iruka smiled listlessly. "But since the order to assist in today's - and any other further mission briefings, came from Hokage-sama himself, I am obliged to believe that his word overrules all current standing legislations. I trust you have no opinions about that?" He glanced at the two boys before him. One blinked and the other looked away and stood up slowly.  
  
"Let's go," Sasuke mumbled, kicking one of the legs of Naruto's chair lightly. Choosing not to turn back to witness Naruto's immediately irritated face, the Uchiha casually slid the door open and stepped out amidst loud shouting and cursing from the blond.  
  
Not one to be defeated, Naruto stood as well and pursued his partner angrily, still in the midst of his rant. "...-and when I get my hands on you, you bastard, you'll regret ever kicking /my/ chair! The chair of the great Uzumaki Naruto! The next up-and-coming Hokage! The next-..."  
  
The auto-door slid tightly shut after Naruto's hand left it. All that was left behind in their wake was an empty room and a rather confused mid-rank Ninja. Slowly, however, a smile crept into his expression. Iruka picked up the paperwork on the desk and decided that today would be a good day to try to finish cleaning up the Taiyoubu paperwork store.  
  
Still with a happy, silly smile plastered on his face, he exited the room as well.  
  
There was silence for a while.  
  
Then something above the ceiling moved.  
  
"Aah," Kakashi muttered from atop a thick rafter, now that the room was bare. "It looks like our teamwork is already starting to get better!"  
  
  
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"So? So?" Naruto was practically bouncing around the contemplative Sasuke, trying to read over the Uchiha's shoulders. "Where's this hospital? Who's this girl? What do we ask her? What do we do? Hey Sasuke! Say something! Hello??"  
  
"Shut up, idiot. I'm trying to read," Sasuke growled under his breath, turning the page of the file. Sensing a rebuttal, he quickly added, "It's a sixteen year old girl we're visiting. All the victims of the Mizu-Youma we're hunting this time have not woken up from their coma yet - except her. We need to extract as much information from her as possible and see what we can do with it. That's about all..." He trailed off, flipping through the pages again and balking at the hideous lack of information. "Who the hell prepared this report? We don't even have a photo or the girl's name in here!"  
  
"Don't worry!" Naruto took this as an opportunity to boast about his greatness. "With the next Hokage Uzumaki Naruto with you, no lack of information will be able to bog us down! Hah hah!" For good measure, the blond tossed a righteous punch into the air.  
  
Sasuke walked on and ignored him.  
  
"Hey, you could at least give me a reaction!" Naruto whined, chasing after the Uchiha, who had gone up ahead in his pause. In reply, Sasuke rolled his eyes and kept walking. "I'm just really excited, okay?" Naruto complained. "I haven't seen the sun for months, and I haven't gone on any missions for years! This time I'm gonna prove my worth and show them what I've got! They're not going to be rejecting my Tokubetsu Chuunin license for long!"  
  
A thought struck him at this point, and he turned to Sasuke. "Hey... I heard from Shikamaru that you're only just a Genin as well. But your skills are..." He thought back to the mission reports he had been reading the night prior, evidence that Sasuke had, in fact, the power and ability of a Jounin. Not sure as to whether he should be saying that he had been reading up on Sasuke - who the hell wanted to give that bastard an ego boost anyway?! - Naruto simply continued with a pout, "... so why are you still Genin anyway? It's not like it's that hard for you. You get exams twice a year. I only get my evaluation every mission; and that comes only once in a /few/ years!" The blond snorted.  
  
In front of him, Sasuke paused abruptly. His breath hitched and shoulders jerked. Curious, Naruto stopped as well. All around them, people continued walking towards their destinations, engrossed in their busy lives, drowning out whatever Sasuke could have murmured with their noise.  
  
Naruto watched, as Sasuke's head lowered slightly. The Uchiha fidgeted, looking left and right. "I can't take the exams..." he finally said - so soft that Naruto almost didn't hear it. "I don't have a Genin team..." Then, in a louder voice, Sasuke announced, "We're here," before pointing to a building to the right.  
  
Following Sasuke's point, Naruto found himself staring at a large, white block of pasty, cemented bricks. Surrounded by a circumference of short, wooden fence, there was a sign on the wall beside the wide opened gates that read, 'Konoha General Hospital'. Several uniformed men and women passed through the wide gates, into the compound where the building itself was situated. Naruto blinked, realising suddenly that the building was very tall - even taller than the police headquarters. He wondered briefly if the scenary from the rooftop was as captivating as it was on the police building's rooftop.  
  
"Pick your jaw up and close your mouth with it," Sasuke, however, appeared to quickly misunderstand Naruto's pensiveness for a country boy's awe. "We're here to finish our mission, not to gape. You can gape all you want after we get the information we need."  
  
"I wasn't gaping!" Naruto's reaction was quick and furious. Sasuke had already begun moving in the direction of the hospital, so he followed and continued protesting, "I /can/ do things right! And I'll prove it to you! You'll eat your words about me yet, Sasuke! You--"  
  
"SSHHH!!" A flustered nurse in white came up to the duo, the two of them having stepped through the automatic sliding doors just a moment ago. The nurse put a finger to her lips. "Be quiet! This is a hospital, not a circus!" She fiercely whispered, shaking her head. When the boys nodded meekly, she quickly moved off in another direction, all the time muttering under her breath about young brats who didn't respect the sacredness of hospitals anymore.  
  
Sasuke stared accusingly at Naruto, who stuck a tongue out at him.  
  
"Whatever it is, we'll have to find that girl first..." Sasuke stared gloomily down the long, wide corridor. He was used to the strong medicine smell here, having been inside this particular building more times than he really wanted to know. He was still uncomfortable with the idea of coming here, but a mission was a mission. If it kept Kakashi happy enough to hold legal stake over the Taiyoubu until Sasuke took over, then he was willing to do it.  
  
Quietly, Sasuke beckoned for Naruto to follow. Together, they strolled towards the receptionist. "Excuse me," Sasuke mumbled, and flashed his police badge. "I'm looking for the girl who just got admitted from a Youma attack... We have some questions for her, if she is well enough to receive visitors..."  
  
"Just... just a moment," the girl hurriedly turned to her computer, typing with quick, but flustered strokes. Naruto peered over Sasuke's shoulders in curiosity yet again, noticing that the shy receptionist had the scariest pair of pupil-less white eyes he had ever seen. "She's... she's in the third room in Ward 7... on the 2nd storey..." The nurse stammered.  
  
"Okay," Sasuke nodded curtly, turning quickly towards the stairs without another word. He made his way up and was soon out of sight.  
  
The girl behind the counter blushed and stuttered again, a good thirty seconds too late, "You... You're welcomed..."  
  
"Grr," Naruto, however, growled at Sasuke's retreating figure. The growl became a grin at the still stammering girl, as he apologised, "Sorry! He's an asshole with no manners." The girl blushed gently and nodded. "Don't worry 'bout him and just go on with your work. Bye" With a happy wave, Naruto ran off after Sasuke - much to the chagrin of some of the other nurses walking around near the reception area.  
  
Quickly, the reception girl went back to fiddling with her work, before anybody could ask her questions she didn't have any answers for. Her chronic shyness made it hard enough for her to find a proper permanent mission in the hospital. If she continued to let everybody who asked her a question distract her from her work, she would be out of the hospital in no time.  
  
"Hinata," a colleague called out from the other side of the reception table. "Give me the file for the patient in Ward 8, Room 8, please."  
  
"... Okay!" Hinata quickly stamped out her blush, and retrieved the file, fully intent to concentrate on her work once more.  
  
  
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Room three of ward seven was not difficult to find. Sasuke was already standing in front of it with an impatient look on his face. The room was, after all, immediately visible upon walking up the stairwell. Unlike the first storey, the second storey was completely silent. The dull humming of the overhead message carrier was the only sound audible when Naruto finally scaled the staircase. Otherwise, only the chirping of the morning birds on the trees outside, together with the occasional rustling of leaves, surrounded them.  
  
"Hurry up, you moron," Sasuke griped, upon seeing Naruto appear from the stairwell. "We don't have all day!"  
  
"That doesn't give you an excuse to be rude to the girl who helped you!" The blond frowned and shot back. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked away.  
  
"Who?" Sasuke, however, was slightly confused. Blinking at his counterpart, the light bulb lit up after a while. Sasuke scoffed and waved a hand. "The receptionist? Are you kidding? I already acknowledged her. It's her job to be providing me with the information. No need to go further than that."  
  
"..." Naruto eyed his partner for a while. "You're rude in a very subtle, cutting way." He remarked plaintively. "No wonder you don't have a Genin team."  
  
A shadow of dark anger immediately brushed by Sasuke's facade. His glare at Naruto intensified. When Naruto said no more, but simply stared back innocently, like he had done nothing wrong, however, Sasuke sighed and turned to face the room door. "I'm going in." He announced dully. A split second later, he put his hand on the handle and pushed the door open.  
  
"Hey... hey! Wait for me!" Naruto quickly followed, not wanting to be left out alone. He barged into the room with a silent 'oops', before quietly closing the door behind him.  
  
There was a girl seated on the bed, looking out of the opened window beside her. She had long, pink hair and looked visibly all right - not what Naruto had expected to see from someone who had just suffered a vicious attack from a Youma. Slowly, the girl turned to regard the police duo, her face like a blank sheet of paper. Her eyes fell onto Naruto first, before moving onto Sasuke. When that happened, her mouth became an 'o' shape and her eyes widened. A light, pink colour tinted her cheeks, and she quickly looked away in a fluster. She tried to say something, but only managed to stutter some incomprehensible sounds.  
  
Naruto thought he had never seen anything cuter in his entire life.  
  
This was it! Naruto now thought to himself with great excitement. This was the girl he was going to marry, settle down, and have ten kids with! They would eat together, play together, work together, laugh together, live together and--  
  
"You..." Sasuke's calm, business-like voice sliced through Naruto's fantasy, making the blond growl at him in anger. Shooting his partner just one questioning glance, Sasuke continued, while holding the patient clipboard in his hand, "... must be Haruno Sakura. Is that correct?"  
  
Sakura stammered something neither Naruto nor Sasuke could hear nor understand.  
  
Annoyed, Sasuke was about to repeat his question when Naruto's dreamy voice stopped him. "Sakura..." Naruto repeated, head high in the clouds. "... Sakura... Sakura-chan... !! Sakura-chan is such a lovely name! Just like the cherry blossoms in spring! Sakura-chan!!" By this time, Naruto had bounced up to the bed, standing beside it and grinning maniacally at the bewildered Sakura. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I'm the strongest and I'm gonna be the next Hokage! And when I do, when I do... will you marry--"  
  
"HELL NO!! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!" Was the firm, loud, and aggressive answer, as Sakura socked Naruto in the jaw and sent him flying to the other side of the room wall with a loud crash.  
  
"..." Sasuke sighed. He closed his eyes, rubbed his temples slowly, and shrank into the nearest available chair.  
  
  
  
  
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25/8/2004  
Part 5 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	6. Chapter Five

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Chapter Five  
  
  
  
"It seems strange," Iruka said aloud, to the empty room before him, "that you would want to get Sasuke a teammate; given his perfect track record of solo missions."  
  
The silence did not reply him.  
  
"Naruto isn't exactly the kind of Younin who can greatly /help/ someone like Sasuke during stealth missions, or missions that require tact and silence, as far as I'm concerned." He shuffled through a few piles of paper, distracted. "Is there something else to this decision of employing Naruto, Kakashi-san, that you are not telling me? If there is, I would appreciate it if you told me now, instead of letting me find out much later, when things have been damaged beyond repair."  
  
"I think you misunderstand, Iruka-sensei," the empty room suddenly boomed with a loud, lazy voice. "I'm doing this purely for the sake of the department. Nothing more, nothing less."  
  
"Oh?" Iruka raised an eyebrow at the rafter the only lamp in the room was attached to. "What happened to 'I want you to learn teamwork, Sasuke'?"  
  
A lazy hand appeared from behind the wood. "That's just one of the fringe benefits." A pause. "Hopefully."  
  
With a sigh, Iruka filed the last stack of paper to a side of the table and tapped on the wooden desk impatiently with his marking pen. "Kakashi-san," his tone was serious, "Sasuke does not need, nor does he want a partner. He has made that clear enough on his first trip down to the laboratory. Why are you forcing him to comply? In your opinion, is it really that good for the only other permanent member of your department to go around on an A-rank mission unwillingly? Just for teamwork?"  
  
"Sasuke knows what he should and should not do on missions," Kakashi informed nonchalantly.  
  
"But Naruto..." Iruka wanted to say something, but held his tongue. He shook his head. "Forget it. I think I'm just being too worried."  
  
A whooshing sound was next heard, and Kakashi dropped down nimbly onto the ground from the rafter, porn still in hand. "I think you are, too," he agreed wholeheartedly, taking the pause to look at Iruka seriously in the eye. "I don't know what you're so suspicious about, Iruka, but leave it. Nobody's going to hurt Naruto. He can take care of himself."  
  
Rubbing the spot between his eyes furiously, Iruka sighed. "It's not the physical pain he may suffer that I'm worried about, Kakashi-san..."  
  
The silver-haired Jounin raised an eyebrow.  
  
"... Sasuke..." Iruka finally mumbled, after having enough of rubbing his face. "... he's had the curse since he was very young. He was the last one Orochimaru touched before he was driven out of Konoha..." He glanced up at Kakashi uneasily. "I cannot begin to imagine the amount of pain and loneliness he must has gone through from since then... I cannot imagine how much he must hate the world for giving him this lot... and Naruto..." The Chuunin shook his head. "Naruto's lived all his life knowing nothing but hatred from the others around him. He may act like he doesn't care, but it really does bother him. He doesn't need one more person - someone his age, someone with whom he shares a common goal - to hate him, anymore. He doesn't need that..." Iruka frowned. "Do you understand, Kakashi-san?  
  
"Do you understand how easy it is to completely break these two boys from the inside?"  
  
A heavy, pensive silence descended upon the room.  
  
Kakashi moved first, shuffling so that he looked away from the Chuunin caretaker. He kept his book and scratched the side of his messy silver head carefully. "It's a gamble," he slowly uttered, catching the attention of the still thinking Iruka.  
  
"A gamble?" Iruka repeated, wondering if he had heard that right.  
  
"If you just think about it, Iruka-sensei," the Jounin regarded his counterpart with a serious eye, "it is ultimately true that any one wrong move can send Naruto or Sasuke down the wrong path. But really, do you think that they'll be any better off if they continued alone at this rate?" Kakashi shook his head, as if in answer to his own proposed question. "I think you know better than anyone else how that may turn out, Iruka-sensei."  
  
From where he sat, Iruka looked like he was poised to say something in answer. He caught his tongue at the last moment, however, and looked away with a frown. "I understand what you mean, Kakashi-sensei," he sighed.  
  
"In any case," Kakashi continued, walking towards a window and looking out through it, "I'm not saying we leave them entirely to their own devices. We watch them, and when the situation arises, we'll react as required. Okay?"  
  
Trying not curtail any disdain surfacing on his face, Iruka curtly replied, "Yes, sir."  
  
  
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After carefully disentangling Naruto from the wall - man, was Kakashi going to give him hell for breaking yet another hospital wall or what - Sasuke sat the blond on a chair and shook his head. "So," he said in an exasperated voice, "if we're all calm and settled down, may we talk things through like sensible adults now?"  
  
"It's not my fault your friend over there is such a creepy lecher!" Sakura shrieked at Sasuke, then realised what she had done and mellowed down instantly with a blush. "S-...Sorry!"  
  
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry about." Then, looking at Naruto, he nudged him gently in the shins. "Hey, idiot, wake up. You alive, dead-last?"  
  
The nickname worked like a charm, for Naruto instantly sprang to life. "Don't call me that, you bastard!" Quickly turning to Sakura, who shrank slightly backwards, Naruto grinned sheepishly and said, "Sorry for scaring you, Sakura-chan! But, but! You're so pretty! No man can /seriously/ resist you for long, Sakura-chan! I swear!"  
  
"... thank you?" Sakura found her voice after briefly wondering why it was that Sasuke had yet to fall to her charms, if what Naruto said was true. Quickly donning a generic smile, she asked shyly, "Why are the both of you visiting me anyway? Do I know you? Were you my friends?"  
  
Caught off-guard by the questions, Naruto and Sasuke turned to stare at each other in surprise.  
  
"I mean..." as if she could sense their hesitation, Sakura quickly added, "... I... my memories aren't... well... I don't remember, frankly," a sigh escaped her lips. She twiddled with her thumbs nervously. "The doctor said I'm suffering from acute memory loss. I don't recognise anyone whom I am supposed to know anymore, so..." Looking up at the two boys, she smiled again. "... if I'm supposed to know who you are then, I'm sorry I forgot your names..."  
  
While Sasuke frowned at this new knowledge, Naruto's eyes glinted at the opportunity. "Don't worry about it Sakura-chan! With us around, you'll get your memories back in no time at all! Isn't that right, Sasuke?" He elbowed the quieter teen and grinned. Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow. When he did not say anything to support or reject Naruto's claim, the blond quickly continued, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! This creepy, anti-social guy here is Uchiha Sasuke. We're here to help, Sakura-chan," Naruto's tone turned serious. "We're police. We're here to help find the demon who attacked you, and bring justice to this wrong!"  
  
Although he had a bit of a difficulty believing that Naruto could utter those calming words of wisdom, Sasuke nevertheless continued, "Just as he said, we're police. We're from the Taiyoubu. Reports state that you've been attacked by a Water-Demon during a couple of days back. This same demon has already attacked many others, but so far you have been the only one to wake up from his attack. If we don't stop this demon soon, more people will fall prey to it. We hope that you will be cooperative and provide us with whatever information you have on hand to assist us with this case."  
  
Sakura's taut smile dissolved into a grim line, and her eyes fluttered back to the sheets of her bed. "Oh." She muttered, sounding slightly disappointed. "Police, huh..."  
  
"We can be friends!" Naruto quickly gushed, and Sakura threw him a sharp glare.  
  
"Who wants to be friends with a loudmouth like you?!" She screeched, immediately making Sasuke's headache return. Naruto descended into a deep, comical gloom while Sasuke sighed.  
  
"Sakura," the Uchiha sternly stated. Immediately, the girl on the bed snapped to attention. "I don't care if you want to be friends or not - we're here on serious, official business, and I think you have some information we're entitled to know about. Will you cooperate or not?" He ended, a tone of finality in his voice.  
  
A look of hurt was evident in Sakura's features by the time Sasuke had finished, which both Naruto and Sasuke saw. Sasuke, as usual, chose to ignore the sting of guilt that arose immediately at his rather poor choice of words, but Naruto stamped his foot and turned to Sasuke, pointing an accusing finger. "You didn't have to be so mean about it, bastard!"  
  
And Sasuke found himself agreeing with Naruto, although only inwardly.  
  
"Apologise!"  
  
Now that, however, Sasuke did not agree with.  
  
"Come on!" Naruto demanded, anger rising at the fact that Sasuke's face remained impassive.  
  
As the two boys engaged in a mild glaring competition, Sakura shifted uneasily and meekly said, "Guys... Naruto... Sasuke-kun... Stop please. Don't provoke Sasuke-kun, Naruto, it's not his fault... I was in the wrong," she smiled nervously, wiping at her eyes. "So... what was this whole visit about again?"  
  
"We..." Sasuke had barely began to speak when Naruto interrupted with a distraught 'how come he gets a -kun when I don't' outcry. "... are here..." the Uchiha promptly stepped on Naruto's foot and grounded the heel, earning him an indignant squawk. He smirked, then proceeded, "... with just a few questions. We won't stay here for long. We understand you need your rest. Now then, if you think you're ready, we can begin anytime."  
  
While yet speaking, Sasuke made himself comfortable on one of the movable stools and folded his arms in anticipation. Naruto eventually recovered from his smarting foot and glared at Sasuke from the floor. But otherwise, he said nothing.  
  
Sakura let her glance alternate between the two boys. "I'm ready of course, but are you sure you can get any useful information out from me at all?"  
  
Both Naruto and Sasuke paused in whatever they were doing - Naruto glaring at Sasuke, Sasuke getting a pen and notepad out. They stared at the girl. "What do you mean?" Naruto blurted out first, blinking in innocent surprise.  
  
"I did mention that I was suffering from acute memory loss, didn't I?" Sakura smiled with resignation. "I can't even remember who my friends and family are - what makes you think I remember what happened on that night of the attack?"  
  
The air stilled, accompanied with a long bout of silence.  
  
Sasuke breathed in - long and hard. "You don't remember anything at all?" He prompted. "Images, sounds, feelings, anything - even if it may just feel like a minor detail to you."  
  
Sakura thought long and hard about the question. She then looked at Sasuke in the eye and shook her head despondantly. "I'm sorry..."  
  
Sasuke chose not to respond vocally, merely leaning backwards in his chair and tapping his lips with the tip of his pen. "Sheesh," he muttered softly, "there goes our last clue..."  
  
Appropriately guilty about her inability, Sakura looked away.  
  
"You don't have to be such a jerk about it!" Naruto, on the other hand, rose to full height and scolded Sasuke loudly. "It's not as if Sakura-chan purposely wanted to keep the information away! Stop making it sound like it's her fault!"  
  
In turn, Sasuke threw his partner an incredulous look. "Who the hell said anything about this being anybody's fault, moron? Are you semi-deaf or just completely out of your mind this time?!"  
  
"Umm... guys?" Sakura quickly interrupted, before the quarreling escalated. "This is a hospital, so... let's keep our volume down?"  
  
"But he--" Naruto protested, only to be cut short by the girl.  
  
"Naruto... I'm thirsty. Can you get me a cold can of coffee from the vending machine outside?" She flashed the boy her sweetest smile, promptly melting him into a puddle of goo. The blond stammered a string of superfluously positive remarks and exited the room faster than the speed of light, his enmity with Sasuke all but forgotten.  
  
Sasuke grumbled noisily, after Naruto was no longer in sight and sound. "Maybe we need a girl in our department to keep that damned moron in check."  
  
Unsure of whether to think that as a compliment or complaint, Sakura kept her mouth wisely shut.  
  
When neither Sasuke nor Sakura chose to speak for a long time, the silence slowly became unbearably uncomfortable.  
  
"Am I..." Sakura began hesitantly, after thinking through what she would say, "... being a hindrance to your work?"  
  
Sasuke shot her a what-do-you-think look, then closed his eyes and sighed into his cupped palms. "For once, the loudmouth is right. It isn't your fault... don't worry about it."  
  
"I-... I promise I'll inform you immediately if I remember anything!" Sakura exclaimed in a sudden spurt of inspiration, hoping to gain Sasuke's approval.  
  
A muffled, monotonous, "Yeah, thanks," however, was the only acknowledgement she managed to garner from Sasuke, who still had his face in his hands.  
  
The awkward silence continued.  
  
  
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It was after a few wrong turns that Naruto managed to locate the drink vending machine Sakura had said was along the corridor. Gleefully pouncing onto it, he examined the drinks on sale and found the iced coffee he was to buy. Happily, he dug into his pockets. Anything for Sakura's attention!  
  
Alas, however, things did not look too bright for the blond. He pulled out a measly grand total of 100 ryou from his pockets, and that was that. Iruka had not given him too much money when he went out that day, preferring to have him return to the office for meals. Naruto groaned unhappily, imagining the horror of now having to return to ask Sasuke for money. He would look like a total loser before Sakura that way!  
  
"He... Hello?" A shy, soft voice called out to him from beside him while he was still debating whether to return to the room. Lifting his head up, Naruto saw a familiar-looking nurse looking at him carefully. "Is... Is there a problem... ?"  
  
"Oh!" Naruto suddenly shouted, pointing at the terrified nurse. "You're that nurse from the reception! Hey there!" He grinned and waved. "Fancy seeing you here."  
  
"Umm... ri... right..." Hinata blinked in confusion. Noticing the vending machine for the first time, she asked, "Are you trying... to buy something? Is there something wrong? Is the machine stuck? The coins often get stuck in the slots so if there's a problem you could..."  
  
"No no, wait," Naruto shook his head and stopped the girl. "Nothing of that sort yet, lady. I'm just... err... out of money, you see... ehehe... so, yeah, like, you have some ryou to spare? I'll return it to you, I promise!"  
  
Hinata looked at the loud, cheerful boy before her, wondering if he was serious. Eventually, she broke into a small smile. She reached into her pocket and took some coins out, quietly handing them over to Naruto. "Please don't mention it!" She quickly said, when Naruto became surprised. "It's... it's not that much of a deal... you don't have to return it, really!" She stammered, cursing her shyness.  
  
In her pause, Naruto had already turned to the vending machine and punched out a few drinks. "You're a great person, nurse lady!" He took one can and handed it to her, which she accepted with surprise. "But don't worry, I'll definitely repay you the money. In any case, this is for you first!" Gathering the three other cans of drinks in his hands, he gave another toothy grin. "See you! Can't keep Sakura-chan waiting for too long!"  
  
Her initial bout of surprise at being stuffed a can drink bought by someone else with her own money was soon over, and Hinata quickly called out before Naruto could get away, "W-Wait!"  
  
The blond quickly stopped. He turned to look at Hinata. "Yeah?" He asked.  
  
Unnerved by his stare for some reason, Hinata quickly stammered, "Are you... here to visit Haruno Sakura-san?"  
  
Naruto blinked. "I guess you could say that!" He replied cheerily, after thinking for a while.  
  
"I... I see..." The nurse quickly attempted to locate a folder. "There... there are some classified information that wasn't down on her official clipboard..." she drew a folder from the stack in her hands and handed it to Naruto, "... that I think the police may want to know. I... I don't know reliable this is, since the doctor never confirmed it, but..." She gulped, her eyes darting to and fro the empty corridor, as if afraid that something would rush out and swallow her whole if she made a wrong move.  
  
"But... ?" Naruto repeated.  
  
"Sakura-san..." Hinata bit her lips together and answered in a very soft voice, "... her memory loss is not exactly normal..."  
  
Previously bustling with readiness to return to the room, Naruto was now a statue of still. "What do you mean?" He inquired quietly.  
  
Taking a huge breath, Hinata willed herself to calm down. She had to do whatever she could to help her patients. "I saw it," she spoke, more solemnly than she thought she could ever be, "with my Byakugan, when they were operating on Sakura-san. There is a very strange presence of chakra near the lobe of her brain where her episodic memory is located," Hinata gestured at her head with her free hand. "In normal instances of memory loss, where the cause is usually a severe jolt or shock to the brain, there should be no instances of chakra interference. The fact that there is some abnormal chakra in Sakura-san's brain gives cause for worry. Going by what I have seen thus far... at best, Sakura-san will recover with a murky recollection of all the years of her life before this, but at worst..." Hinata's words lingered, and she bit her lips again. Breaking bad news was never her forte.  
  
"At worst, her memories get eaten up by the abnormal chakra, and she will never remember her previous life again?"  
  
"Ye-Yes!" Hinata quickly stammered, surprised that Naruto had finished her sentence. "But... how did you know?"  
  
Naruto's face was dark, and his lips pressed together in a tight line. "I know enough demon tricks to be aware that this one's a tough nut to crack..." he trailed off. Lifting a face to Hinata, he smiled simply. "Thanks for the information, lady. I better go tell Sasuke what's going on. Do you mind if I kept this file?" He waved the yellow folder Hinata had passed to him around.  
  
"No, I don't mind, please keep it if you need it," Hinata said, still a little shaken at Naruto's reaction.  
  
"Thanks then!" The blond went back to his energetic grinning. "You know, it's not nice for me to keep calling you 'lady,'" he rubbed his nose sheepishly. "What's your name?"  
  
A pause. Then, "Hyuuga Hinata..."  
  
"Gotcha," Naruto winked at her. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto - the next Hokage! So you better remember me! And don't worry, I'll return you the money I borrowed for sure! I swear on the name of Hokage!" He took off down the corridor, still grinning. "Bye, Hinata! See you around!"  
  
Hinata waved slightly in return. Only a while later did she realise that she had not stammered throughout her whole explanation, and was proud of herself. Still room for improvement, she decided, as she turned and walked the opposite direction to check on her patients.  
  
She wondered what had given her the courage to talk to a total stranger about a patient's unconfirmed diagnosis in the first place.  
  
  
  
  
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27/8/2004  
Part 6 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	7. Chapter Six

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
Against the Tide  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
Chapter Six  
  
  
  
"Sasuke!!" Naruto's bright and loud voice disrupted the painful silence in the hospital room, where Sasuke and Sakura were. Both visitor and patient perked up slightly at the disturbance, just in time to see the whirlwind of blond burst into the room. "Sasuke!" Naruto repeated, this time much louder. In one hand he cradled a few cans of drinks, whereas in the other hand he was waving a hospital folder around desperately. "I got something to tell you, and maybe Kakashi-sensei. Are you... oh wait," he calmed down, when he saw Sakura looking at him strangely. Sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his head with the folder. "Oh, sorry, Sakura-chan. I know I'm a bit loud and everything so please don't mind--"  
  
Not yet done with his apology, Naruto found the folder in his hand snatched away by Sasuke, who then used it to whap him on the head. "Let's head back. I don't think we can learn anything new here for today." He stalked darkly towards the the door and hovered at the doorway, waiting for Naruto to join him.  
  
"Yeah yeah, jerk!" The blond stuck his tongue out at Sasuke. He looked away and rolled his eyes. Quickly turning to Sakura, Naruto handed her the cold can of drink, beaming widely. "Sakura-chan! Here's your drink! Get well soon! Don't worry, you can count on us coming to visit you again! That's what friends are for!!"  
  
"Hurry up, you idiot!" Sasuke called out impatiently from the doorway. Waving one last time at Sakura, Naruto took off, exiting the room by throwing a glare at his partner. Sasuke ignored him and simply allowed him to go ahead first.  
  
Just as Sasuke moved to follow Naruto, Sakura found her voice again. "Sasuke-kun..."  
  
The Uchiha paused. He turned his head slightly.  
  
"Are we..." Sakura continued, twisting knobs in her bedsheet. "... are we friends now?"  
  
There was a long silence.  
  
"You don't want to be my friend," Sasuke's soft, almost pained whisper drifted to Sakura's ears - so quiet that she almost missed it. "You don't want to be my friend..."  
  
Stepping quietly out, the door swung silently shut. A confused Sakura was left behind with nothing but a can of cold drink and fleeting memories of her two strange, peculiar visitors.  
  
  
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"Here," Naruto haughtily stuffed one of the cans he had in his hand to Sasuke, before turning away. Surprised, Sasuke paused in his step.  
  
"What's this?" The raven-haired teen eyed the can suspiciously, then glared at Naruto.  
  
"It's a can drink, stupid," Naruto found himself half frustrated and half amused. "There's no poison inside either, if you /must/ know," he sarcastically added, after turning around and catching a glance of Sasuke's dubious expression. When the Uchiha still refused to react, Naruto sighed noisily. "You know better than me what happens to a Younin who harms his partner! Just take the drink and say thank you or something, why don't you?!"  
  
Sasuke had blinked when Naruto brought the word 'Younin' up. He quickly scowled at the brash blond and brushed by him in a flurry. "Why're you still standing there? Don't you have something to say to Kakashi?" There was a sound of a can drink cap being twisted open, and Naruto's eyes widened, surprised to see Sasuke opening the can to drink from it. Sasuke caught him in that expression and smirked. "You're not being very useful standing in the middle of the road and gaping like a goldfish, dead-last. You gonna come or do I have to go back to the hospital and rent a wheelchair?"  
  
Instantly snapping out of his stupor, Naruto took back whatever flattering adjective he had been showering Sasuke with previously in his mind. "I don't need a wheelchair, you asshole! Maybe you should get your eyes /checked/ before you say something stupid next time!"  
  
Sasuke's reply was to gurgle coffee and look at the clouds.  
  
There were some shouting, protests and choking sounds. The boys proceeded to engage in a massive chakra street brawl.  
  
  
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Kakashi put a hand to his forehead.  
  
"So," the silver-haired Jounin Inspector shook his head, "who of you wants to start first?"  
  
The two dirty-looking boys in front of him simply scowled and glanced away from each other, neither saying a single word.  
  
Kakashi sighed.  
  
"Kakashi-san, I've borrowed some related books and documents from the lib-... !!" The caretaker ended his statement with a shocked expression. "What the-... Naruto! Sasuke! Oh my goodness! Were you pushing each other into mud mires? How did you get so dirty?!"  
  
The accusation snapped something in both boys' heads. They pointed a finger at each other with alarming synonymy and cried out, "It was all /his/ fault!" at the same time. They glared at each other again, before snorting and jerking their heads in opposite directions.  
  
Kakashi sighed, very loudly.  
  
Raising an eyebrow at his superior, Iruka asked, "Do you have any idea, sir?"  
  
"Alas, no," Kakashi replied with great drama, "I am as much in the unknowing as you may be, Iruka-sensei." In a more serious tone, he added, "Actually they've just stepped inside. I was about to interrogate them. If you don't want to miss this chance of listening to what must be the greatest event ever to happen to Uchiha Sasuke since I was ordered to take over the Taiyoubu, then you're most welcomed to, Iruka-sensei," the silver-haired Jounin grinned beneath his mask, at the two squirming boys before him. "Sasuke," he said lightly. "You start."  
  
"Nothing exciting happened, /sir/," Sasuke made double sure to emphasis the title. "We just got into a minor fight, that's all."  
  
"Minor my foot!!" Naruto immediately yelled back, waving his arms around. He pointed to his bloodied left arm and continued ranting, "You shoved your kunai into my arm and nearly ripped it into two! I was bleeding a whole damned river!! How can you call something like that /minor/?!"  
  
"It was an accident!" Sasuke hissed at the blond, then pointed to the three parallel gashes across his right cheek. "You clawed me here too, in case you forgot! Ripped the skin off like shredder on paper! That hurt like bloody hell too!"  
  
"Boys, boys," Kakashi held them both by their heads and sighed for what he hoped would be the last time that afternoon. "All right, I get it. You both have accounts to settle with each other. But let me take a look at your wounds first, okay?" He gestured them to a long bench near the table where Iruka was leaning on.  
  
Glumly, both boys heeded the instructions. They made doubly sure to sit as far near the edge of opposite sides of the bench as they could.  
  
"Naruto," Kakashi started, going down on one knee to examine the blond's left arm, "all of the Taiyoubu's weapons are coated with very strong anti-Youma substances - designed to numb them into inacitivity. Are you feeling dizzy? Does your head feel light? Or are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"  
  
Naruto thought long and hard, complete with rumbling throat noises. "No," he finally replied. "Although I'm a little hungry..."  
  
Kakashi ignored that last sentence and concentrated on staring at the bloodied left arm, which was exactly what it was - nothing but a bloodied left arm. He did not see the massive, scathing wound with a free flowing outpour of blood Naruto had claimed was there, and was understandably disturbed.  
  
"He heals very quickly," Iruka commented from where he stood, as if he could read the questions in Kakashi's mind. Kakashi glanced upwards at Iruka. Not long after, a knowing look quickly dawned on his face.  
  
"I see," the Jounin stood, releasing Naruto's arm. "That's all good. Naruto, you're fine. There's no need to squeal like a pig lined up for butchering. Just wash the blood away from your hand and it'll be as good as new."  
  
"Really?" Naruto's eyes were wide with amazement. "I don't have to go through any major life-threatening operation to saw my arm off before it starts to rot because of the poison?"  
  
"No, don't worry," Kakashi pat the boy on his head. "Whatever Sasuke's been threatening you with, don't believe him. His bark is always worse than his bite."  
  
Sasuke growled at his guardian.  
  
"Iruka-sensei, can I leave Naruto to you for the time being then?" Kakashi nodded at the Chuunin, who stood at attention immediately.  
  
"Of course, sir," Iruka was already by Naruto's side. "It is my duty to begin with."  
  
As Iruka led Naruto out of the office, the blond sneaked one last look back, caught Sasuke's eye, and stuck his tongue out at him.  
  
The door quietly closed, and Sasuke's vein throbbed on his forehead. "I'm gonna kill that little twerp!" He declared with a strangled cry. He then fell back into himself and clutched his ribs, his formerly calm facade contorting with what looked like unbearable pain.  
  
Shaking his head, Kakashi grabbed the first aid kit and stood in front of Sasuke, hands on his hips. "I know being calm and everything is an Uchiha trademark, but for once in your life, you should just shout if it hurts so much. Then again I'm quite amused that a Youma-Ningen who hasn't seen action in so many years managed to do you in. Finally met your match?"  
  
"Shut up!" Sasuke growled, choking back on some dried blood. "I'll be all right after a while. Give that to me!" He snatched the first aid box from Kakashi and glowered at the man. "Thanks for nothing. You can leave me alone now."  
  
"Sasuke," Kakashi frowned, "you know very well that I'm not going to do that until I beat some answers out from you." As he said his words, he dragged a stool, placed it in front of Sasuke and sat on it. "Now that there's only you and me, you can tell me what happened."  
  
"Nothing! Nothing happened! We just got into a fight, okay?" Sasuke yelled, surprising Kakashi. "Look," he glared at his guardian, "I don't care how much trouble it's going to be - but get. Him. Out. Of. My. Team! Get him out and far away from me!" There was a look of desperate pleading in Sasuke's eyes. "I don't need him for this mission! I don't need anybody!" Like a trapped wild animal lashing out, Sasuke continued, "You don't understand, do you?! He's going to die! He's going to die and it'll be all my fault again! I don't need that anymore! I've had enough of watching people around me die!" He choked, gritted his teeth, but calmed down. "I almost killed him... like I killed him so many years ago..."  
  
Kakashi's eye never left from the rambling boy, and he never interrupted. He waited for a while, until the time was right, then calmly spoke up.  
  
"Explain."  
  
  
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"I don't know whatever possessed you into getting into a fight with your signatory," Iruka shook his head, while spraying Naruto's left hand with a small hose. They sat in the quiet, almost abandoned changing room of the Taiyoubu - Naruto sulking and Iruka nagging. "I thought you knew the rules of the contract better than that."  
  
"It's not my fault he's the world's greatest bastard and asshole!" Naruto mumbled unhappily, but clearly regretting his foolish move.  
  
For a while, there was nothing but the sounds of water spraying on Naruto's hand.  
  
"Iruka-sensei..." The blond broke the silence with an uncharacteristically quiet voice.  
  
"Hm?" Iruka randomly responded. His attention was mostly on a particularly stubborn stain that was refusing to come out no matter how hard he rubbed.  
  
"Do you think... Sasuke hates me?"  
  
Although taken aback at the question, Iruka nevertheless continued trying to scrub the blood off Naruto's arm. He wondered how he should respond, eventually grinning and saying, "Since when did you worry about people hating you, Naruto?" - obviously hoping to distract the blond. Upon hearing that, however, Naruto's scowl intensified. He lowered his head and sulked at the tiled floor.  
  
"I went through that cabinet of mission reports you asked me to, Iruka-sensei," Naruto spoke up again, after an awkward silence. "And I don't see why Sasuke needs a partner for any of his missions. He's... well, he's very good," the blond admitted with a sigh. "Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu - and he has an advanced bloodline. I don't understand, sensei. I think he signed me out just so he can pick on me," Naruto grumbled. "We're not allowed to fight back after all. But damned if I let him get away with calling me dead-last!" The blond suddenly rose to full height, knocking the hose back such that now Iruka was completely drenched by it. "When I become Hokage, I'll kick his ass so hard, he'll be crying into next week! Hahah!!" He struck a pose.  
  
Iruka, of course, was anything but listening. "Naruto..." He growled in a deep, dangerous voice.  
  
"Yes?" The boy was still in his ecstatic mood. "You want to treat me to ramen coz you're so sure I'm gonna be the next Hokage, yes?"  
  
Iruka grinned evilly, after having brought the askew hose under control, but not having been fast enough to escape from its mighty jet of water. He held the hose firmly in his hand, and proceeded to blast Naruto completely with water.  
  
"Wagh!" Naruto screeched, feeling the strong jet of liquid pummel into him. "Ow ow ow, stop that! Argh, I'm getting wet!" He grated out unhappily, stepped on a bar of soap, and slipped, yelping loudly.  
  
"Next time, watch where you are before going into your Hokage dramatics again, Naruto," Iruka simply stated to the bewildered Naruto on the ground, while turning the water hose off. "Get up and let me check your arm," the caretaker instructed, and Naruto quickly scrambled to his feet. He held his left arm out for Iruka to inspect. The pony-tailed man stared at it for a while, then nodded. "Okay. It's all cleaned up now." Patting Naruto on his shoulder, he smiled warmly. "Thank goodness you're all right, Naruto."  
  
Naruto blinked in surprise.  
  
"Now," Iruka's face quickly dissolved into a stern frown. He gestured towards the bench they were sitting on previously. "Sit down and explain to me just what in the world happened on your way back."  
  
Immediately, the blond frowned. Although he did sit down, he folded his arms and pouted angrily, refusing to say anything.  
  
"Come on," Iruka shook his head, sitting down beside his the boy. "It can't be a long story, anyway I see it. Why don't you start from the hospital? I hear you were assigned to go visit one of the victims of the Mizu-Youma in the hospital, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Naruto muttered unhappily. Then he perked up. "Sakura-chan is so pretty, sensei! Like the cherry blossoms in spring! I think I'm in love! I must try to ask her out!" He blabbered with a lewd grin. Iruka smiled along.  
  
"That's nice," the Chuunin nodded. "What else about her did you find out besides the fact that she was pretty, hm?"  
  
Quickly, Naruto mellowed down. "Nothing much..." he mumbled. "... Sakura-chan is suffering from some accrued... astute... memory... err, anyway she can't remember what happened to her that night," Naruto pouted. "She says she doesn't even remember who her friends are! She's so pitiful!" He glanced up at Iruka with bright, concerned eyes.  
  
"Memory loss, huh," Iruka simply slapped a hand on Naruto's puffy blond head, being immune to all sorts of puppy eyes in the world. "That's... interesting, to say the least. But go on. What happened after you left the hospital?"  
  
"Bleh, nothing much," Naruto grumbled, obviously unhappy that Iruka had shifted the topic such that he wouldn't be able to gush about Sakura anymore. "Sasuke insulted me again, so I got angry. Then we fought and tackled each other to the ground. When I tried to bite him, his whole body seized up and his eyes turned this really awesome shade of red!" Naruto's voice trailed faintly.  
  
In a short while, Naruto's voice picked up again in a slightly angrier tone. "Then all of a sudden he has this kunai in his hand, coming straight for my heart!! Sheesh, I really thought I was done for this time! Though at the last moment, his eyes kind of suddenly snapped back into black and he twisted the kunai so that it hit my left arm instead. But still!" He pointed dramatically at his now completely healed left arm. "It hurt like mad!" So I swiped at his face and clawed away a bit of flesh. Ehehe..." There was a sheepish pause. "... Okay, I clawed away a /lot/ of flesh but... but he started it, Iruka-sensei!" The whining tone was back in full force. "Please believe me!"  
  
Iruka stared first. Then shook his head. "You make a very lousy storyteller, Naruto." He held a hand up to stop any protests from the blond. Grinning widely, Iruka continued, "Well, but I'd still give you full marks on honesty! And I guess that means ramen for dinner tonight, then!"  
  
A short silence later, the jubilant outcry of "YEAH!!" could be heard echoing through the empty corridors of the entire department.  
  
  
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"So you pulled a kunai out, and barely managed to avoid stabbing Naruto in the heart," Kakashi summarised what Sasuke had been blabbering about for the past few minutes. "Did I get that right?"  
  
After mumbling something unintelligible for a while, Sasuke sighed and nodded his head. "Yes."  
  
In response, Kakashi clapped. "Well, you know what?" He chirped to a surprised looking Sasuke. "Congratulations! Congratulations for having your first temper tantrum for all sixteen years of your suppressed, frustrated life!" He wagged a finger at the by-now utterly shocked Sasuke. "Don't deny it. I've watched over you from since you were a little brat. You've never thrown a temper tantrum or had a hissy catfight with any of the boys before. I was beginning to wonder if you're abnormal! Congratulations, Sasuke! Welcome back to the land of normal boyhood. Where have you been all your life?"  
  
"You..." Sasuke, however, found nothing in the situation that was as funny as Kakashi portrayed it to be. "You... you asshole! I... I almost killed him and you call it a temper tantrum?! He could've died and... and the stupid curse would have-"  
  
"Ah, but you see, Sasuke," Kakashi shook his head. "Naruto is still alive and kicking. And relatively unharmed, too, if I may add."  
  
"But he could have-"  
  
"-died, yes." The Jounin's turned poker-faced. "But he didn't. And he won't. That, Sasuke, is the only difference we care about in our line of profession. Do you understand?"  
  
With eyes wide and jaw slack, Sasuke stared at his guardian with a stunned silence. Eventually he growled, and leaned backwards into the backrest of the bench. "... So you're not going to take him out of the department."  
  
Kakashi's single eye became an inverted U. "Nope!"  
  
Knowing that he had no more say in the matter, Sasuke closed his eyes and meant to stand up, hopefully walking away from the idiocy that was his superior. He was stopped, however, by a firm hand on his shoulder - that of Kakashi's. Glancing first at the hand, then at Kakashi, he demanded, "What the hell is your problem now?"  
  
Quietly, Kakashi sneaked a book out from behind him. Sasuke's eyes widened. Instead of staring into the usual orange cover of the pornographic novel series Kakashi was always reading, he found himself staring at the serious, sombre thick cover of the book he had been reading the night before.  
  
The book about Youma, Younin, and of course - the Kyuubi.  
  
"You were reading this last night," Kakashi stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"Keh," Sasuke looked away, finding his cheeks growing slightly hot. Kakashi had never questioned him about his choice of reading material before. "It's not like I'm reading something I shouldn't be."  
  
"I think it is," Kakashi's tone remained serious. He tossed the book to a far end of the room and stood upright, straight as a ruler. "If you had any questions about Youma research and, or the Kyuubi, why didn't you ask me? These books are too dry and state only the personal opinion of the author, sprinkled periodically with some facts to back them up. Is that why you developed such a bad opinion of Naruto?"  
  
"I wasn't reading it for Naruto," Sasuke muttered softly, perhaps hoping by some sheer chance that Kakashi would believe him. The Jounin simply sighed and shook his head.  
  
"Nevermind who you picked the book up for, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "Now I want you to tell me what you learned about Youma and the Kyuubi from that book. Pronto. You have 2 minutes."  
  
Glaring at his superior, Sasuke knew he had no way out. "Nothing new that I don't already know from the other books about the Youma or Youma-Ningen," he tilted his head in the direction where he last saw Kakashi throw the book in. "It was the only book which talked a bit about the nine-tailed demon fox, though, so I thought..." he stole a glance at Kakashi, who smiled and nodded for him to continue. "... I thought maybe... I can find out... a bit more... about the demon that's in the idiot..." he trailed off.  
  
"So did you find anything?" Kakashi prompted, not about to let the silence stretch.  
  
Shifting his eyes to the ground, Sasuke allowed a few seconds to collect his thoughts. "The Kyuubi no Youko was one of the most powerful demons in history... it was bloodthirsty and destructive - tearing up anything that stood in its way. Thousands of elite have fallen to its attacks, and none have ever managed to get it to submit," he glanced at Kakashi questioningly at this stage. "The book never said anything about the demon's attack on the village, though."  
  
The Jounin nodded. "Understandable. The book was written prior to the attack, after all." He ignored the suspicious look on Sasuke's face. "So?" He raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Whatever made you go grab a book on a long-gone demon and read up about it?"  
  
"I don't know," Sasuke quickly looked away again, a slight blush evident on his pale face. "Boredom, maybe."  
  
"I hope you weren't trying to find out a glimpse of why Naruto behaves the way he does with that book--"  
  
"I already said it's not because of Naruto!"  
  
"--Well, good. Because Naruto is NOT the Kyuubi. And thus you're not going to find anything in any book out there that can help you understand him any better."  
  
A pause.  
  
"He's not?" Sasuke was miffed. "Doesn't Youma-Ningen experiments combine a demon with a human to better certain parts of their anatomy?"  
  
"Maybe he'll tell you more about it whenever," Kakashi shrugged. "You could ask him, you know. The contract doesn't forbid you guys from talking about Younin experiments."  
  
Sasuke scoffed, as if the mere thought of having a proper conversation with Naruto was beyond him.  
  
"Do you really hate Naruto so much?"  
  
The nature of the question alone made Sasuke wary. Yet if he denied the charge it would mean that he /liked/ the foolish blond, which he most certainly did not. "Yeah," he grunted. "He's stupid, idiotic, moronic, a hindrance, loud, bright, blundering and ugly to boot. I sure as anything do not need something like that in my life."  
  
"So you hate him," Kakashi grated. Sasuke frowned. Hate was too strong a word even for his opinion on Naruto. He had barely known the blond for two days - hardly enough to develop such intense feelings.  
  
"I can't stand him," Sasuke replied monotonously, not entirely sure where this conversation was headed.  
  
"Enough to want to kill him?"  
  
Sasuke's head snapped upright at that. "I do NOT want to kill him!"  
  
"Really?" The Jounin cocked his head to a side. "Didn't you just say you were going to 'kill that little twerp'?"  
  
Sasuke bared some teeth. "That was just a random threat, you stupid Jounin."  
  
Shrugging, Kakashi continued, "Random threats aside, have you done anything to him to make him feel even slightly welcomed to the department since meeting him?"  
  
Sasuke blinked, and remained silent.  
  
"Isn't that right," Kakashi simply took the silence to be an admission. "Naruto, being the bearer of the Kyuubi," he looked pointedly at Sasuke, "has had to face the persecution of everybody in the village who has been through that particular war. Anywhere he turns, everywhere he goes - somebody's out there, glaring at him with every intent to kill him, skin him alive if it helps eases their sense of justice. Sasuke," Kakashi called his protege's name, and made sure that Sasuke was staring at him in the eye before he continued, "Naruto doesn't need one more person hating him - anymore than you need one more person dying on you." The Uchiha was sure he could hear himself gulp. The glint in Kakashi's eye turned even more serious. "Do you understand?"  
  
Quickly looking away, Sasuke frowned. He tried hard to think of a proper, honest response.  
  
"The world doesn't revolve around you alone, Sasuke,"  
  
After uttering those words that would be his last for the day, Kakashi smiled, and disappeared in a puff of teleportation smoke.  
  
Before he could hear Sasuke snap back.  
  
"I do NOT act as if the world revolves around me!!" Sasuke shouted into thin air, subsequently cursing his superior in his head with every swear word he had learnt from since times past to now.  
  
After a while, though, he calmed down, fists clenched and head lowered.  
  
He knew there was a ring of truth behind the words that Kakashi had just spoken.  
  
  
  
  
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30/8/2004  
Part 7 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	8. Chapter Seven

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Chapter Seven  
  
  
  
"But why does Sasuke seem so afraid of getting bitten?" Naruto wondered aloud, adjusting his forehead protector while looking in the mirror of the changing room. "He didn't even flinch when I clawed him across the face from temple to chin. Oh yeah, I gutted him in the ribs too... err," he flashed the increasingly alarmed Iruka a quick glance, "... anyway, I don't see how a bite should differ from my other attacks. Am I missing something here, Iruka-sensei?"  
  
Eventually, the pony-tailed caretaker came out of his induced shock. "Funny you should ask," Iruka murmured, "I was wondering how to broach the subject to you, too."  
  
"The subject?" Naruto turned around from looking at Iruka in the mirror to facing Iruka in the face instead.  
  
"Come on," Iruka gestured towards the door, "we'll talk while we walk back."  
  
Nodding, Naruto followed his caretaker, curious about what Iruka had to tell him.  
  
"Hmm..." Iruka began, after they had walked a short distance away from the changing room and were now rounding some corners. "How many of those mission reports did you read?"  
  
"How many?" Naruto was confused. "I read them all!"  
  
Shocked into a slight stumble, Iruka gaped at the blond. "You read them /all/?!"  
  
"... You mean I'm not supposed to?" Naruto meeped in a quiet, frantic voice.  
  
"Err, no no," Iruka quickly corrected his tone, coughing into his fist. "I mean... oh well. Naruto, there are five years worth of mission reports in that shelf - some of which were massive B-rank missions spanning 20 pages or more. And you read them all."  
  
"Well I got carried away after a while..." Naruto sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm just jealous that I never get sent to exciting missions like the ones Sasuke always gets sent to. And he does them all /alone/, too!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at nothing in particular.  
  
"That's not what I was surprised about, Naruto," Iruka's hand came down on the blond's head again. "It's the fact that you, Uzumaki Naruto - the boy who couldn't even stay still enough to read a simple one line mission statement - actually read a whole shelf of top-ranked mission reports within one night." He sighed. "Why didn't you put half as much effort in some of your classes back in your school days? You would've gotten to Tokubetsu Chuunin by now!"  
  
"I /told/ you, Iruka-sensei, those judges have /something/ against me, damned if I knew what it was!" The blond swatted his caretaker's hand away from his head. "Speaking of ranking, why is Sasuke still a Genin, sensei?" Naruto's innocent curiosity struck again - and he looked at Iruka, hoping to get a straightforward answer this time. "Genins don't do B-rank missions... all by themselves, too! Is he actually an ANBU in training or something? He can't still be Genin with his track record!"  
  
"Hmmm..." Iruka pondered on how to answer that. "It's true that Sasuke's skill level and track record obscenely disqualifies him from being Genin - but he cannot rise to Chuunin. He has never taken the Chuunin examinations before..."  
  
"Because he doesn't have a team?"  
  
"... because he doesn't have a... how did you know about that?" Iruka frowned at his charge. "I don't think the mission reports mention things like that?"  
  
Naruto shrugged. "Sasuke told me."  
  
Once again rendered speechless, Iruka gaped. "He... Sa... /Sasuke/ told you?"  
  
"Yeah, he just mentioned it in passing when I asked him about it," Naruto waved nonchalantly. "Is he such a jerk that nobody wants to pair up with him at all? Shikamaru and Chouji seemed really interested in joining the Taiyoubu, though they say it's impossible for them. Aaah, dammit, I don't understand, sensei!" He grabbed his hair in self frustration. "I don't understand anything anymore!"  
  
"Do you really think Sasuke is so hard to work with, Naruto?" Iruka asked tersely.  
  
"Yes! He's an asshole and a jerk and won't stop making fun of me!" The blond instantly snarled.  
  
Iruka looked at him strangely. "Come on, Naruto. Be honest. Is he really so hard to work with? Does he hinder the mission in any way? Leak out secrets he's not supposed to?"  
  
There was a short pause. "Well... no," Naruto admitted. "He's quiet enough... and does his job really well."  
  
Iruka smiled.  
  
"So there's another reason then?" Naruto glanced at his caretaker hopefully.  
  
"Maybe he'll tell you about it one day, when he feels like it," Iruka nodded. "But have you ever heard about the curse of the Hebi-Youma?"  
  
Naruto's face darkened immediately. "Of course! Those evil foul-faced things are infamous even among the Younin!"  
  
"Sasuke," Iruka sadly replied, "has been cursed by one of those demon."  
  
Out of the two sets of footsteps making their way down the aisle, one set stopped abruptly. Iruka was obliged to stop as well, turning around to look at Naruto's incredulous face, having half expected it.  
  
"From..." Naruto managed to sputter after a while. "... from since when?"  
  
"Seven or eight, I'm not too sure myself," Iruka smiled warmly and gestured for Naruto to continue walking along beside him. "I think you know better than anyone else what happens to someone who's been cursed by the Hebi-Youma, don't you?"  
  
"Well, ugh... I..." Naruto complied by quietly stepping forward, then continuing alongside Iruka in their trek back to the office. For a while there was nothing but silence. Then, "I promise I won't try to bite him again."  
  
Trying hard not to fall over in exasperation, Iruka eked a smile out at Naruto. "I don't think that was the point I was trying to make..."  
  
"I'll try not to punch him or anything when he's being too much of a jerk either, then," Naruto hastily added. He pouted when Iruka's expressions did not make a turn for the better. "That's the best I can do, Iruka-sensei! I can't stand that jerk and you know it! Just 'cause he has a fear of being /bitten/ because of some stupid Hebi-Youma doesn't mean he has the right to be a jackass! He's not the only one who's had to live with a goddamned curse in this village, okay? I won't let him walk all over me just because--"  
  
A few loud, lone claps sounded out from beyond the dark corridors. Both Naruto and Iruka stopped and tensed, Iruka's hand going towards his shuriken pouch and Naruto crouching to the ground with a low growl in his throat. "Well said, Naruto, my boy," the voice belonging to the person clapping said, and he stepped towards them, allowing the dim lights to finally fall upon his visage. "I couldn't have said it better myself."  
  
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto's eyes widened and his body instantly relaxed. He broke into a wide grin a moment later. "Really? You really think so? Cool!! Finally someone agrees with me that Sasuke is an asshole! Yes!" He began to dance around.  
  
"Naruto, behave yourself!" Iruka quickly grabbed him by the head, and turned to Kakashi, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry. Naruto is sometimes a bit too hyperactive."  
  
"Boys should be hyperactive. It makes them more lovable," Kakashi smiled back, and pat Naruto on the head. Naruto grinned widely. "I wish Sasuke had half your enthusiasm."  
  
"Yeah! I'm the best!" The blond struck a fist into the air.  
  
"Anyway, your mission objective for today is over." Kakashi continued. "Sasuke'll be submitting the report, as he always does - that little perfectionist," he shook his head. "But I thought I'd ask you about it too. Is there anything extra you may want to tell me before I return to my volumes of Icha Icha?"  
  
There was a pause. Then Naruto nodded while blabbering, "Yes yes yes! Kakashi-sensei, there's this folder that this nurse passed to me..." Naruto felt around himself. "... Oh shit. Sasuke took the folder," he grumbled, "... anyway! This nurse... her name was Hyuuga... Hinata? Yeah, something like that - she told me that there's a certain chakra that's suppressing Sakura-chan's memories so that Sakura-chan can't remember a thing about her life, or the night the attack happened. It's a pretty common demon trick," Naruto flashed a bit of chakra with his hands. "It's not usually used, though - it's a pretty high level demonic Jutsu that eats slowly away at the victim's memories. They not just risk losing all their memories, but losing their mind altogether."  
  
Kakashi frowned. He touched his temple with an index finger. "Hmm..." He made a sound. "Still, I haven't seen many instances of active memory blockage in all my years in the Taiyoubu." He frowned. "This Jutsu is not often used even among demons who know it, since the way I see it, the preferred method of attack is usually mass mayhem. It makes me wonder what this Mizu-Youma really wants..."  
  
"Maybe he doesn't want people to find him out?" Naruto suggested.  
  
"That's not possible," Kakashi shook his head, "Youma are identified instantly by their attack style."  
  
"Well, I don't know," Naruto looked at his feet, frowning deeply. "Maybe it seemed like a good way to keep himself from getting arrested?"  
  
Kakashi thought for a while more quietly. "Whatever it is," the Jounin pointed at Naruto, "I think we'd better try to find out more before we start anything new. Naruto, you join Sasuke in the office and tell him that both of you will be using the department library to find out more about the Mizu-Youma. I'll be forwarding you some related information from among the classified files I can get my hands on. Iruka-sensei," he glanced at the caretaker, who nodded in acknowledgement, "I may need your help in that area."  
  
"Of course, sir," Iruka said, while standing at attention.  
  
"So that's it for now," Kakashi pat Naruto on his blond head. "Get going. Try not to kill each other this time, okay?" He smiled knowingly at the boy, who looked away in embarrassment. "As much as I would like to see Sasuke finally get out of his shell, I really don't wish to see him out of service for a few weeks just so it can happen. You got that?"  
  
"Yes, sensei..." Naruto mumbled. He edged his way around the two adults and broke into a run down the corridor, towards his assigned destination.  
  
As soon as the retreating figure of Naruto vanished into the gloomy darkness, Kakashi turned and walked slowly away. "Let's go," he said sombrely to Iruka, who nodded and followed, after throwing one final, worried glance down Naruto's general direction.  
  
  
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"Hey, asshole," Naruto declared loudly upon sliding the door open. "Kakashi-sensei asked us to go do some research on the Mizu-Youma in the library. Get your lazy ass out of the office and lead the way there!"  
  
A surprised Sasuke, halfway through bandaging his swollen midriff, jerked his head upwards quickly. He frowned when he saw that it was Naruto, and turned so that his back faced the blond.  
  
"Wait a bit, idiot," he mumbled, continuing with his bandaging. "Still trying to clean up the mess you gave me, in case you haven't noticed."  
  
Quietly, the blond padded closer to Sasuke, who flinched at the invasion of personal space but could do nothing to drive the curious boy away. "... was it really that bad?" Naruto eventually asked, staring with great amazement at the patch of bluish-purple decorating a huge area across Sasuke's stomach.  
  
"Yes, moron," Sasuke snapped, tearing a strip of banadage and handing it to Naruto. "And didn't you get slashed across the arm too? Use that. It's unhygenic to walk around dripping blood all over the place."  
  
Taken aback by the sudden gruff gesture of kindness, Naruto accepted the bandage wordlessly. The room continued in silence as Sasuke finished his last round of wrapping and put his shirt back on. "Where did Kakashi ask us to go to again?" He stood and walked towards the exit. After a few steps, he noticed that Naruto wasn't following, but just staring into space. "Hey, total moron! I'm asking you a question!"  
  
"I heard you the first time, bastard," Naruto frowned, turning to glare at Sasuke. He stood as well and trailed behind Sasuke, who had already began moving. They exited the office and started down the long, lonely corridor, for once in each other's presence but not trying to shout each other down. Sasuke was mildly disturbed, to say the least. It was just unlike Naruto to be this calm and quiet.  
  
"How do you..." a worried sounding Naruto voiced out, suddenly lifting the tension between the duo. "How do you..." he repeated, as if unable to find the right words to continue with his question.  
  
"What?" Sasuke prompted, glad that at least there was some sound in the eeriely quiet corridor.  
  
Naruto turned to look at Sasuke pleadingly. "How are you supposed to use this strange piece of white paper?" He wailed, managing to somehow tie his two hands together with the bandage. "Is this some sort of flag you give to disobedient Younin? You could at least teach me how to use it! It's just getting my hands all tied up!"  
  
Properly stunned into silence, Sasuke gaped openly at the blond.  
  
"Well?" Naruto pressed on, frowning at his companion.  
  
For his part, Sasuke had so many things to say, that he didn't know where exactly to start.  
  
He sighed.  
  
Grabbing a loose end of the bandage, Sasuke tugged a bit, and the long strip of bandage fell away. "Come on," he shook his head, and continued towards the library. "We can bandage your utterly moronic hand up as we walk."  
  
"My hand is not moronic!" Naruto yelped, quickly chasing after Sasuke. His energetic shouts and protests eventually was engulfed by the silence that by now characterised every thing and being within the Taiyoubu.  
  
Although with Naruto, who knew how long it would stay that way.  
  
  
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After getting Naruto's hand properly bandaged up, noticing with half relief and half envy that the deep gash on Naruto's arm had rapidly healed to nothing more than a surface scar now, Sasuke led them both to the police department's huge and ominous looking library.  
  
Unlike the usual rooms in the building, the doors to the library were towering blocks of transparent glass. They were heavy enough that Naruto had to use real effort to push them open, and once inside, he gasped at how high the ceiling was. They traversed the thin strip of corridor that led towards the inner room, the librarian behind the counter by the side staring at Naruto with slight suspicion. Naruto stuck his tongue out at her and felt himself instinctively walking closer to Sasuke. In a room full of strangers, a Younin was only safe beside his signatory - was the principle Iruka had hammered into his head about the outside world.  
  
After rounding a few shelves, Naruto and Sasuke stepped into a rather large space occupied not by bookshelves - but by large tables and some chairs. There were a few tables already occupied by some serious looking officers, but otherwise, the library was deathly deserted.  
  
Sasuke gestured Naruto to a corner table by the far end of the space. He whispered, "Stay here. I'll go pull some books out. Don't make loud noises and don't attract too much attention!" He hissed as a warning, earning him a glare of rebellion from Naruto.  
  
"I know what to do, jerk-face!" Naruto whispered harshly back. Sasuke shrugged and walked towards the shelves of books.  
  
In the silence of the hall, where nothing but the turning of pages could be heard, Naruto could feel the glances of other people more distinctly than ever. Every time he turned to try to pinpoint who exactly was staring at him, he found that everybody else had returned to looking at the pages of their books - like they hadn't been the one to be staring. Reasonably uncomfortable, he started to fidget. He knew he was all tensed up, just in case somebody lunged at him with a lethal weapon from behind. It had happened before, after all. The outside world was just not safe.  
  
Therefore he almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"YIKES! GET AWAY GET AWAY!! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU! GO THE HELL AWAY DAMMIT!" He shrieked, standing up, toppling the chair he had been sitting on, and turning around while slapping the hand away frantically. It was then that he found himself face to face with an astonished Sasuke. "Oh," he muttered, after a long, stunned silence had transpired between them. "It's you."  
  
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. He was about to launch into a massively scathing monologue on how much of an idiot Naruto was when a librarian stormed up to them as quietly as she could and put a finger to her lip.  
  
"Silence, the both of you!" She glanced her old, wrinkled eyes at Sasuke, then at Naruto. Momentarily surprised at seeing Naruto, she nevertheless continued sternly, "If you can't keep it down, I suggest you get out of here, as quickly as possible!"  
  
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, though Sasuke was the one who eventually muttered, "Sorry..." Sort of appeased with that show of apology, the lady snorted and stormed off, after wagging a disapproving finger at the two boys. As soon as she left, Naruto and Sasuke exchanged bored glances.  
  
"It's all your fault!" Naruto whispered to Sasuke. He lifted the toppled chair and sat back down on it.  
  
"I'm sorry you feel that way," Sasuke sighed, his tone unapologetic. He slammed a few books down on the table, earning him some unhappy glares from the people who were reading nearby. "Okay, these are some reference books that can't be borrowed out. We'll start with these." He pulled a book out from the stack and started to look through the contents page.  
  
"Mizu-Youma, huh..." Naruto glanced up at the ceilings, not attempting to get a book at all. "Never met one of them in the lab I'm always at, though. Otherwise I could be of some real, practical help here..."  
  
"...You know, Naruto," Sasuke replied with a nice tone and a sweet smile, "you /can/ be of some real, practical help if you just put a hand out and pull a book from the stack, open it and try to see if you can find any information on that little water demon?"  
  
Snapping his eyes away from the ceiling, glared at Sasuke with almost slitted irises. "Do you get up from the wrong side of the bed every day?! I have a good mind to reach over indeed and pull your throat the wrong way ou--"  
  
"SHHH!!!" The entire area reverberated with the collective sounds of annoyed readers trying to appreciate the silence. Naruto quickly ducked and waved apologetically at the onlookers, who then mumbled and returned to their books. After which, the blond whipped around to glare at Sasuke. The Uchiha was scribbling things in his notebook and ignoring Naruto by this time, and that really did make the blond angry. Still, he knew he had a job to do, and therefore opened up a book to see what he could glean from it.  
  
The peace only lasted two minutes.  
  
"WAIT! I REMEMBER SOMETHING!!"  
  
  
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A few minutes later, Naruto and Sasuke were now walking along the streets of Konoha, washed aglow with an orange-red in the approaching sunset. Naruto had his arms folded over the back of his head. Sasuke's head was hung low, his shoulders hunched. They continued that way for a while more, until finally, Naruto broke the silence.  
  
"Are we going to go get ramen?" He grinned at his companion.  
  
"No." Sasuke immediately shot a reply. "For the last time, no!" He added, looking up at Naruto. "It's enough that you got us thrown out of the library, now you want to get us banned from the ramen shop as well?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Naruto pulled a mock fist at Sasuke. "I'm the ramen store's most loyal client! They wouldn't ban me for anything in the world!!"  
  
"No, no, really, nevermind," Sasuke rubbed his temple tiredly and told Naruto. "Let's just go to my house and we can continue the research from there. I think Kakashi should have sent us some information by now as well." He glanced around the crossroads they had reached while walking about aimlessly. Nodding towards the right, he continued, "This way, idiot. Follow me real closely so you don't get lost along the straight path, clueless."  
  
"HEY!!" Naruto instantly screeched, taking off after Sasuke in a run. "Take that back!"  
  
"Maybe I will, once you actually develop a brain."  
  
"I do have one!"  
  
"Hah. I couldn't tell."  
  
"Why you-!!"  
  
The scuffling continued throughout the rest of their journey. So childish they were, that even the sun set behind the mountains in shame.  
  
Gloomy grey clouds gathered over the rustic village once the sun was gone - crowding out any view of the night sky. The moon and stars were not visible that night yet again, but the village was no longer concerned.  
  
After all, it had been that way for months already.  
  
  
  
  
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8/9/2004  
Part 8 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	9. Chapter Eight

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Chapter Eight  
  
  
  
"What's that flashing thing on the bottom?" Naruto's eyes widened with curiosity. After arriving at Sasuke's house, they had gone into the study room immediately to consult the computer and whatever notes Sasuke had taken from their trip to the library.  
  
Said Sasuke was currently chewing on the tip of his pencil and frowning slightly - partly because of the lack of information on their current case, and partly because of Naruto's grating voice. "It means I have new mail from somebody I know," he muttered blandly, reaching out for the mouse and clicking on the flashing icon. The computer inbox jumped to life and quickly displayed the incoming message. "It's from Kakashi."  
  
"Wow!" Naruto was excited, though not for the same reasons Sasuke was. "I've heard all about computers but I've never seen them in action before! Talk about cool!"  
  
"Kakashi says..." Sasuke droned on, pleased that he had mastered the rare art of tuning one Uzumaki Naruto out entirely. "... that after pulling some strings and breaking some firewalls - he has confirmed that the Mizu-Youma is from the Hidden Mist. It was bound to an S-class criminal prisoner because water demons are known to occupy the memories of their hosts for survival." The Uchiha frowned. "A botched brainwashing operation... Reasons for its arrival on Konoha are still unknown. Kakashi says he needs more information to work with. Naruto," Sasuke paused in his monologue to address his suddenly calmed partner, "pass me the notebook. I need to send some stuff to Kakashi."  
  
Wordlessly, Naruto complied.  
  
Sasuke stared at the quiet blond. He sighed, grabbed the book Naruto was offering him and swiped once at his head.  
  
"HEY!" There was an instant response. "What'd you do that for?!"  
  
"Idiot," Sasuke had turned back to looking at the monitor screen. "Your brain wasn't designed for thinking deep things, so don't try so hard."  
  
"It was too!" Naruto looked affronted. "What else could it be for, you know-it-all, self-righteous jerk?!"  
  
"Eating, breathing, sleeping, moronic things like that," Sasuke shot back calmly. He had already begun typing information into the computer.  
  
Naruto turned red in the face from anger and screeched with hands upraised, "Your stupid brain does all of that too and I don't hear you calling yourself a moron!! Do you want another slash across your pretty face?! Huh?"  
  
The sound of typing immediately stopped. Sasuke spun around on his creaky, rotating chair, glaring darkly at Naruto. The blond gulped slightly and started to regret shooting his mouth off. The room was deathly silent. Naruto was sure Sasuke was going to yell at him that he was dismissed and could go back to whatever gutter he had come from. It was unsettling, therefore, to see a smirk slowly surface on Sasuke's face.  
  
"Moron." He stated, loudly and clearly. A vein in Naruto's head literally popped. He had his explosive response all ready, until Sasuke's voice cut his thoughts cleanly into two. "Go out and turn right, all the way down the corridor. There's a room on the left that has all the books in the house about Youma and Younin. Grab the blue one on the third row that's on the shelf nearest to the window. It may have something useful." He arched an eyebrow at Naruto, who had wide eyes and a slack jaw - obviously confounded. He smirked again. "Well? What're you waiting for? Come on. Show me how much brains you really have. Or do I need to repeat the instructions?"  
  
Immediately, Naruto's face dissolved into anger. "Grr!" He growled loudly at Sasuke. He turned tail and stormed dramatically out of the room, throwing one last glare across his shoulder at the simpering Uchiha.  
  
Sasuke afforded himself a small quirk of lips. He wheeled back to his workstation and was about to continue with his data entry when he noticed another mail that had the unread flag. Blinking at the strange sender, he wondered who it could be. Few knew his address, and even fewer cared to use it.  
  
Just as he was about to trash it, something caught his eye.  
  
He stared.  
  
It came from the Hokage's office.  
  
Bearing the subject, "Kyuubi no Youko".  
  
  
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Pacing up and down the corridor of Sasuke's house, Naruto surprised himself by finding the stipulated room with almost no problems whatsoever. And it wasn't that he had Sasuke's instructions clear in his mind either - he had sort of forgotten whatever he was to follow after the 'make a right turn' part. He had chosen to rely on his instincts instead, following the only route in the house that was lined with the slightest signs of life. The lonely lights from the streetlamps poured onto the hallways through the windows, illuminating it with an eerie glow. Naruto peered curiously at the luminaries as he made his way towards the library - grinning at them.  
  
It was almost as if they were leading him there.  
  
Naruto knew that Sasuke lived alone - that much Iruka had told him. And as soon as he found out that the Uchiha was the curse-bearer of the Hebi-Youma's seal, he could more or less figure out why he lived alone. He was saddened. He knew he was prone to extreme feelings, but the sudden sadness surprised even himself. He snorted to himself, clearing his thoughts and quickly entering into the house library. No way was he going to let himself feel sorry over an asshole like Sasuke!  
  
The library was simple - books, a desk, a few chairs, and a lot of shelves with even more books. Naruto glanced around for a blue book near the window, and found it quickly. There were very few other books that were vaguely blue in colour, after all.  
  
As he tucked the book safely under his arm, he noticed the mess that was on the table. Notes were scattered about, and opened books were stacked, one atop the other. A niggling feeling at the back of his mind told him that he had better get back to Sasuke as soon as possible. The consequences would undoubtedly be dire if Sasuke found him poking about his belongings. But on the other hand, his curiosity screamed at him.  
  
Screamed loudly at him to find out more about what Sasuke had been researching in this room.  
  
Blue eyes darted about the room. Then Naruto tiptoed closer to the table. It wouldn't hurt to peek, just a little, was his reasoning. After all, he could probably find out something about Sasuke that he could later use as blackmail material! With that thought set, he grinned widely to himself and descended upon the desk with full force.  
  
The first thing Naruto did was to shuffle through the notes. Notes were shorter and summarised versions of the books. And books were things he did not like to read - not even if he could help it.  
  
None of what had been written on the notes struck him as anything blackmail-able, once Naruto had sifted through a huge pile of it. They were standard, clinical, /boring/ investigation things - talking about the psyche of known demons, the status of Younin research, the various skills and abilities of Youma, etcetera. The blond sighed, deciding that he had been wasting his time. He was about to give up and go after he ruffled through the last stack, when he caught something scribbled in a much messier scrawl at a lonely corner of the final page with entries on the notepaper.  
  
Picking the paper up, he squinted at it.  
  
Although messy, the scribbling was readable. It looked like it had been done only in a moment of impulse, for it had been struck out several times vehemently by coarse, black ink. Still, the strokes had not been able to hide all the letters from view. Naruto could make out a few words, and from there, piece together entire sentences.  
  
There were only two sentences written in that corner.  
  
/...still can't find cure for curse.../  
  
Naruto's hand clasped the piece of paper tighter.  
  
/...don't want him to die too.../  
  
And he could hear something inside shattering into a thousand pieces.  
  
  
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When Naruto re-entered the study room, Sasuke was already finished with the email from the Hokage's office. His eyes were glazed over with something like concentration, and his eyebrows knitted tightly together. He heard the other boy's footsteps, looking up briefly to shoot him a quick glance of acknowledgement.  
  
Naruto glanced back.  
  
For a while, neither spoke. Sasuke was frowning like he had something to ask Naruto, and Naruto simply stared at Sasuke with a pair of sad-looking eyes.  
  
It reminded Sasuke of the day when they first saw each other in the Laboratory.  
  
Startled at the sudden memory, Sasuke coughed into his fist and looked away. "Got the book?" He tried to sound as casual as he could. He spun around on his chair. "Kakashi's working on the notes I just sent over, but I need to forward him more information..."  
  
Sasuke had trailed off, because Naruto quietly gave him the book, then moved to sit on another chair nearby, staring at his toes, very very quietly. His mind was obviously on something else.  
  
Perplexed, Sasuke turned back to the computer to finish up his work, wondering about the situation but not curious enough to ask. The silence was awkward after a while - especially since the blond he had come to associate with energy was sitting just beside him. Sasuke was therefore not quite surprised that he chose to break the silence.  
  
"Kakashi's collated some information - it appears that the demon only assaults sixteen year old girls. There is a pattern to his attack that we can't quite catch yet - since some of the girls were discovered only a few days after the actual attack. The girls he picks are usually the more unpopular ones - for some reason. He's issued the order for us to visit Sakura at the hospital again tomorrow to see if she remembers anything. In the meantime, he wants us to get more familiar with the skills and Jutsus of the Mizu-Youma. There's going to be an inevitable showdown when push comes to shove..."  
  
Sasuke hesitated somewhat. He glanced once at Naruto, whose head had been bowed from his re-entrance, and was still bowed. The blond was also twiddling his thumbs, meaning he was not paying attention, and Sasuke could feel a vein throbbing in his head. "... dead-last! Are you listening or not?!"  
  
"...yeah... sort of..." Naruto responded after a short silence, still twiddling his thumbs, oblivious that his answer made Sasuke more frustrated. "... I mean... yeah, you know... I know what you mean but I don't know why you mean it and... you know, stuff like that..."  
  
Sasuke's annoyance was slowly taken over by curious confusion. "/What?/" He found himself unable to stop the question from slipping out of his mouth.  
  
"I mean!" Naruto suddenly raised his voice and stood up, eyes blazing with determination. "... Why?"  
  
"..." Sasuke turned his head to a side to stare at Naruto sidelong. "... why what?"  
  
"Why didn't you tell me about your curse!" Naruto shouted again, back to his normal, boisterous self. "I could be of some help! I may be Younin and you may be my signatory, but I might as well be just an accessory if you don't trust me to watch your back! I don't care what you've been through in the past to make you such an asshole, because you're not the only one with problems, okay?" Naruto huffed, then glanced away before mumbling his last sentence. "And I'm not gonna lose to a stupid curse! I'm not gonna let you predict my future for me, and I'm most certainly not going to die, you got that?!" He returned his slightly embarrassed eyes to Sasuke.  
  
Who was gaping like a goldfish. And completely dumb-struck to boot.  
  
Until the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.  
  
"You saw that note in the library," Sasuke's voice was quiet, serious, and demanding. He stared hard at Naruto.  
  
Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke. "You never asked me not to!"  
  
The Uchiha sighed noisily. He put his face into his hand and shook his head. "Nevermind..." he mumbled, looking up to regard Naruto warily. "Looks like you know my little secret. Guess that makes us even, huh?"  
  
"Even?" Naruto blinked.  
  
"Wanna see?" Sasuke nonchalantly pointed towards the monitor screen, where the mail about the Kyuubi from the Hokage was still on display. Naruto frowned, then slowly advanced towards the apparatus, staring at the screen for a while. His eyes widened in surprise upon catching a few keywords in the document, then reared towards Sasuke accusingly. "Where did you get this?!"  
  
Sasuke shrugged. "From the Hokage's office, although I'm sure Kakashi had something to do with it." He smirked at the blond, who was still staring at slight shock at the screen. "I always thought Youma-Ningen had demons /combined/ with them. You're the only one I've heard of who has a demon /sealed/ inside instead. I don't know if it means anything, but you're just a normal human after all, aren't you?" He snorted. "And I always thought you were some special nutcase with some really exceptional circumstances, to be able to give such loud declarations that I wasn't the only special one in the world. Hmph." He paused, continuing no further, choosing instead to watch Naruto carefully for a reaction.  
  
Naruto slowly turned to look at Sasuke in the eye.  
  
"Kyuubi no Youko wiped out a third of the village's power sixteen years ago," he said, in a tone that didn't quite sound like he was the one speaking. "Anybody who's had to live through that war bore a grudge against the demon fox for the countless atrocities he had done. The demon was too strong to be destroyed, so instead the Fourth Hokage had to seal it into a newborn baby. They feared the child so much they chained him up in the name of science and security, scorning him, mocking him, ridiculing him, wishing that he were better off dead."  
  
Sasuke frowned, just as Naruto turned to look away.  
  
"I am that child, as you know. I grew up lonely, Sasuke. I grew up thinking the world had no need for me, but!" He turned around again, grinning with his entire set of teeth visible. "I'm not like you! I won't allow them to dictate the way I live! And I won't lose to a stupid fox, or a stupid seal, or anybody stupid enough to think that I don't matter! I'll show them that I'm stronger than they are! I'm gonna be the next Hokage for sure!" He heaved a fist into the air. "That's how my Nindou goes!" He grinned at the stunned Uchiha.  
  
After glowering for a while, Sasuke griped, "Your Nindou is stupid and impractical. Stop trying to rub it off other people!" He turned away to quickly avert Naruto's eyes, using the time instead to type quickly and furiously on the keyboard of the computer. Naruto had indeed fumed and wanted to protest. "But," Sasuke added softly, his typing speed slowly down, successfully diverting Naruto's thoughts, "I'll admit. You are strong. Stronger than those other idiots who've never had to face solitude. Never knew how it felt to be truly alone..."  
  
Naruto knew he had something to say to that. But for some reason, he opened his mouth, but could not force the words to be spoken.  
  
Minutes passed in silence, Sasuke typing away on the computer and Naruto frowning away at his toes.  
  
"But we're not alone anymore," it seemed logical, entirely too logical that it would be Naruto who would break the silence, "right?"  
  
And it seemed logical, entirely too logical too, that Sasuke would actually give serious thought to that question. He took a slow spin on his chair around to catch Naruto's bright, questioning eyes in his own. "No," he answered, rather begrudgingly, "not now, at least."  
  
Naruto's next grin was so bright, Sasuke thought it would light up the darkened room entirely.  
  
  
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The next day, the two boys literally crashed headlong into the usual meeting room, pooling into a heap before Kakashi's feet. In the background, Iruka stopped arranging some documents into files and stared openly at the scuffling duo, who were still struggling against each other with much shouting and insulting, on the ground. Kakashi calmly raised an eyebrow. He reached over, picked both teenagers up by their collars and separated them.  
  
"Give it back!" Sasuke made one final swipe at Naruto's face, before relaxing into Kakashi's firm grip. He did not, however, stop growling at the blond.  
  
"Ngeeeeeeeh!" Naruto stuck his tongue out and wagged a finger, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was now dangling a feet above the ground. "Serves you right for being such a petty miser! No miser crosses the path of Uzumaki Naruto and leaves still a miser!"  
  
"Why you!!" Sasuke struggled against Kakashi, flailing about pathetically, looking his age for once, instead of a seasoned, well-trained fighting machine. "When I get my hands on you you'll regret ever--"  
  
"Hey hey, boys! Boys!" Kakashi finally intercepted, partly out of annoyance and partly out of curiosity. For the first time since they had tumbled messily into the room, Naruto and Sasuke tore their glances away from each other and looked instead at their current superior. Recognition only set in after a while, and both boys widened their eyes in slight surprise and embarrassment. They quickly tried to look away, mumbling excuses for their unbelievably bad behaviour. Kakashi shook them slightly in his grip, forcing them to look at him in the eye again.  
  
Once he was sure he had their full attention, the Jounin continued, "It's becoming a routine for both of you to come to meetings kicking up a storm, and I must say I am quite highly amused. Before I return you to your dramatics, would you like to explain what exactly is going on here, or should I fill in the holes and make up an excuse for you?"  
  
"No!!" Sasuke immediately shouted. "No! No you will not!" He gritted his teeth and shook his head. Evidently, he had yet to be able to forget what was the excuse Kakashi had made for him the last time he came about five minutes later to the meeting than Kakashi. It involved many things that a 16-year-old boy like him should not and was not yet legal to know. Naruto stared at him inquisitively.  
  
"Well," Kakashi shrugged, "then make yourself useful and start explaining."  
  
"He stole my stuff!" Sasuke immediately accused, pointing at Naruto.  
  
"He was being a miser!" Naruto pointed right back. "I wasn't going to steal all his money! I was just going to grab enough to buy ramen at Ichiraku. If he hadn't shouted at me and started chasing me, I would've returned the remaining money to him! Hmph!" Naruto grounded out huffily.  
  
"That wasn't all you stole, Naruto..." Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.  
  
"I already told you I only took the photo album by mistake!" Naruto pouted, folded his arms across his chest, and looked away with a leer. Then a look of dark mischief passed over him and he grinned evilly at Sasuke, "Though, come to think of it, since you're being such an asshole about it, maybe I should take that picture of baby Sasuke in a bathtub to the bookstore and make copies of it for distribution around the entire village...-"  
  
"That's the whole point about you and my album!!" Sasuke angrily tried to stomp a foot, but couldn't since he was still dangling from Kakashi's hold. "If you were anyone else - Iruka-sensei, Shikamaru, Chouji, oh hell even Sakura! I wouldn't give a rat's ass deal about them with my photo album! But you! You with anything! Anything of mine to boot! It's going to spell nothing but trouble! That's why I want it back, you total moron! Dead-last of dead-lasts! Dim-witted, mindless twit of a--"  
  
At that particular point in time, Kakashi released his hold on the two fuming boys, and allowed them to crash unceremoniously to the ground. Iruka was by Naruto's side in an instance, while the silver-haired Jounin himself bent down to face Sasuke levelly. Once he was sure the boy had not sustained any unexpected injuries, he rose to full height and shook his head.  
  
"Listen. I'm not running a nursery here. It looks like you were both at fault somehow. Stand up." He commanded, and both Naruto and Sasuke did as told. "Naruto, return what you stole from Sasuke. If you want something from him, ask nicely next time. If he still insists on being a miser, well," he scratched his head, "you can always come ask me to slap him into un-misery. Trust me, I've perfected that art a long time time ago," he winked at Naruto, who pouted but nodded.  
  
"Sasuke," Kakashi continued, "you owe Naruto an apology. Even if he was wrong to have taken things from you, knowing someone like /you/, you very likely did something to trigger it off in the first place. Now then!" Kakashi took both boys by a shoulder and set them so that they faced each other. "We're all good and settled. In order to not let this ruin our teamwork, you're going to shake hands with each other in a silent promise that nothing like this will happen again! Come on," he frowned slightly, when both Naruto and Sasuke looked absolutely disgust at the idea of hand-shaking, "no fighting back with your superior."  
  
There was a pause. Nothing happened.  
  
"Do it now," Kakashi chirped, sounding very happy all of a sudden. A chill immediately went up both boys' spines. "Or I'm going to order you to kiss and make up instea--"  
  
The words alone were enough. Two hands shot out, one each from the boy, and gripped each other in a tight embrace. After about three seconds exactly, they broke contact and quickly turned away, cheeks tinted with humiliation and embarrassment. Kakashi smiled.  
  
"Very good. Now sit down and this'll be over in a jiffy," he pointed at the table in the centre of the room. Not waiting to see if they had done as he had commanded, he rounded the table to the front and pulled down a screen. Iruka automatically moved to handle the projector already seated on the table facing the screen. Sasuke noted that he had never seen the projector before. He frowned, just as the lights were turned off.  
  
"Aaah" Kakashi gave a nostalgic sigh. "How long has it been since we last used this piece of junk for a photo demonstration?"  
  
"Just shut up and hurry up," Sasuke's unhappy voice came out from the darkness. There was the sound of some movement, then the projector churned into life, projecting a bolt of coloured image onto the screen, and filling the other parts of the room with a soft, white glow.  
  
"Always as impatient to get to the action as ever, that he is," Kakashi was more amused than offended at Sasuke's disrespect. He smacked a teacher's rod against the screen, immediately directing everybody's attention there. "What we're going to see, are the pictures of the girls who have been assaulted, taken immediately after they were discovered with a special chakra-detecting camera. Tell me what you notice."  
  
For the next couple of minutes, only the clicking of the shutters of the projector fill the room.  
  
"I get it!" Naruto suddenly jumped out of his chair and slammed his palms on the table, just as the last picture flashed by. "Their heads! Their heads all have this strange, chakra cloud over it!"  
  
"I'm sure we all /saw/ that, dead-last," Sasuke rebutted, holding his ear from mock pain. "Keep your voice down for once, idiot."  
  
"I have a name!" Naruto yelled at Sasuke in indignation.  
  
"Both of you, quiet!" Kakashi reprimanded. "Naruto, sit down!" He further compounded.  
  
"But-" Naruto began to protest. Only when Iruka tugged at the hem of Naruto's jacket and shook his head fiercely, did he eventually succumb and sat back down without a further word.  
  
Seeing that the situation was under control, Kakashi turned to his protege and sighed inwardly, like he had to every time he needed to deal with the boy. "Since you're all so clever and smart, Sasuke," the Jounin began, "why don't you tell us what else you could see from the pictures that Naruto hasn't already pointed out?"  
  
Sasuke frowned at Kakashi, questioning the man's motive in asking the question at all. What he had observed, he was sure that Kakashi already knew as well. "If you must know," Sasuke mimicked his guardian's soothing, almost condescending tone, "what I have observed is that the chakra cloud seems most prominently visible over the victims that are immediately found, rather than those that are found a few days later. The clouds have more or less dissipated for those.  
  
"That is probably the cause of the victim's coma - a constant mental attack on them via a chakra residue. Also, if they should ever wake, like Sakura did, then their memories will be too jumbled for them to be helpful to identifying the demon. This is a very intelligent, scheming demon we're dealing with, to be sure," Sasuke frowned, "leaving the girls alive when he could have simply killed them means he wants something that only the humans can give him. He's leaving clues behind for us to pick up. Although what exactly he wants, I have no idea..."  
  
"Good enough," Kakashi nodded, and gestured to Iruka, who nodded back and quietly slid the next slide into the projector. The picture flashed onto the screen. Both Naruto and Sasuke tensed visibly. "Now this," Kakashi ploughed on, nonchalant, "is Sakura's picture - taken immediately upon discovery. Sakura, as you probably can tell, is the odd one of the lot. Unlike the previous victims, she was found almost immediately - attacked in a crowded park near the police headquarters during a festival, to be precise. Unlike the other victims, who were unpopular, lonely girls of one way or the other, Haruno Sakura is rather well-known and well-liked among the masses. Add that to the fact that..."  
  
"...that the Chakra used on her was strong enough to make her forget... but not strong enough to knock her out completely..." Naruto was the one interrupting, a blank look of revelation on his face. This time, Sasuke did not make a jibe.  
  
"Is it a challenge?" The Uchiha asked, looking straight at Kakashi.  
  
"Hm?" The Jounin tilted his head to a side, smiling under his mask.  
  
"Is the Mizu-Youma challenging us?" Sasuke repeated.  
  
Kakashi closed his eye and strode across the screen. "You are probably right. Before the case was referred to us, it was just a normal B-rank mission for general Ninja. It was the demon's latest attack of Sakura in the park so near the police that made the council reconsider the weight and classification of its rank. That was why we were given this mission instead. All things considered, then, yes," the single eye crinkled into an obvious grin, "the water demon /is/ challenging us."  
  
Naruto giggled, standing up and cracking his knuckles. "All righty," he said in a low grumble, grinning away, "that ol' watery thing obviously has no idea who he just issued the challenge to. Don't worry, sensei! I'll kick his ass and save Sasuke's while I'm at it! Just sit back and--woaaah!?" He was suddenly pushed aside and spun around and around on his rotating chair. The culprit, none other than Sasuke, gave the revolving chair one last offended kick, and sent it towards the door, where it came to a stop with a loud thumping sound that was followed by a muffled groan.  
  
His task accomplished, Sasuke stood up from his own chair, hands stuffed casually into his pockets. "If that's all we need to know, then we'll go interrogate Sakura again now."  
  
The lights were switched on as soon as those words left his mouth, Iruka having powered down the projector. The Chuunin quickly passed a folder to Sasuke and said, "Some more updated information and images for you guys to look through at your own leisure. Don't forget, if you learn of anything new, come back and inform us right away. I'll be at the office at the top floor as usual, though I don't know where Kakashi-san will disappear to, as he always does half the day," the last part of the sentence was whispered privately. Sasuke nodded tersely, trying to hide the twitch in his lip that was a smile threatening to burst out. Giving Sasuke a reassuring pat on the shoulder, Iruka smiled and turned to walk away.  
  
"Ah, my children are leaving me for the big, bad world out there," Kakashi did not indicate whether he heard Iruka's words, merely wiping a theatrical tear away. "Please return home alive and in one piece, my darlings!"  
  
Naruto gaped at Kakashi, his face crossed between amazement and disgust. Sasuke just threw his guardian an threatening glare. It soon simmered into slight curiosity, however, when the boy asked, "How did you get those Chakra photos anyway? They're supposed to be classified stuff even the Taiyoubu couldn't touch without having to go through at least ten days of paperwork..."  
  
The sudden question forced Kakashi back to normal mode. He appeared to be genuinely considering a reply. He eventually shrugged and said, "Rest assured that it came from an official, internal source in the police department, and that I didn't get this through bribe or corruption, if that's what you're concerned about," he smiled at Sasuke, who sulked. "Who am I to reject the kindness of someone who wants to help?" The Jounin rubbed his hands gleefully. "Now then, shoo! You have work to do, and I have things to read!" He hadn't waited for any response at all, pulling out his porn without batting an eyelid, earning him two disgusted glares and one curious tilt of head. With a quick hand seal, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.  
  
"Argh!" Sasuke threw his hands up in surrender. "How can I ever grow up normal with a guardian like /that/?!"  
  
Naruto bounced about around him. "You mean you read porn too?"  
  
The whack across Naruto's head could be heard from the other end of the corridor.  
  
"No I don't!" Sasuke almost screeched. He slammed the door open rather loudly and stormed out in a rage.  
  
"What the hell are you so angry about!" Naruto screeched right back, holding the lump on his head. "Oh, see you later, Iruka-sensei!" He grinned at the Chuunin, then turned to follow Sasuke out of the room.  
  
Iruka smiled thinly at the door that slid shut. He then sat down on the chair, and sighed the longest sigh he had ever sighed in a long, long time.  
  
  
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"-and you really should learn some manners, coz you know nothing, absolutely /nothing/ about holding a normal, civil conversation-"  
  
"I can hold normal, civil conversations, stupid."  
  
"-with me; don't call me that!; and thus your social circle is failing! Absolutely failing! Non-existent, if you asked me! Your taste in words is as bad as your taste in girls! I can't believe why you're not even the slightest bit of interested in Sakura-chan-"  
  
"She is an injured /victim/ who we are supposed to question, not date!"  
  
"-since she's so beautiful and everything and okay okay, that part of the deal aside; you can't deny that she's pretty! And nice! And sweet! And-"  
  
"Will you just shut up before I clobber you with a splintered coffee table already?!"  
  
"-so /cute/ when she smiles and... hah! I'd like to see you try! Come on!"  
  
"Oh, for crying out loud, will there ever come a day when the two of you will walk this stretch of hallway without trying to murder each other?" A new voice pierced lazily into the duo's engaging conversation. Two pairs of eyes turned in the direction of the voice and saw that it was just Shikamaru, with his coffee, leaning against the wall. The boy gave his friends a two-finger salute, making Naruto and Sasuke step backwards instinctively, not trying to tear each other's heads off anymore.  
  
"He started it!" Naruto immediately accused. Sasuke snorted and looked away, refusing to deign that with a response.  
  
Shikamaru shrugged, lifting himself away from the wall and yawning. "Whatever... the both of you are so damned troublesome... made me stay up the whole night..." He yawned again, and mumbled something else unintelligible.  
  
"Shikamaru, you stayed up the whole of last night?" Naruto asked in disbelief, peering at him suspiciously. "Are you really Shikamaru?!"  
  
"This morning I wondered the same thing, staring at the ceiling of my bedroom," Shikamaru sighed into his coffee. He turned around and lifted a hand over his shoulder. "Hope you guys enjoyed the nice movie slideshow. See ya..."  
  
Shikamaru's footsteps soon echoed into nothing. And while Naruto's expression turned from slight to full blown confusion, Sasuke kept frowning in the direction Shikamaru had last moved into. After a few moments of hesitation, he finally called out into the empty corridor, "Hey, thanks... You really helped us lots there..." - much to Naruto's bemusement.  
  
Silence was his only response, but Sasuke smiled slightly and continued to drag Naruto out of the building.  
  
Shikamaru probably thought it was too troublesome to shout a response back.  
  
  
  
  
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15/9/2004  
Part 9 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	10. Chapter Nine

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Chapter Nine  
  
  
  
"I already told you what I know," Sakura frowned, genuinely irritated for the first time since Naruto had seen her. "I can't say anything more, because there's just nothing else to say already."  
  
Directly facing her, seated upon a moving stool, Sasuke frowned. He exchanged a glance with Naruto, who was lounging about on the couch beside him. The blond shrugged to indicate that he had no opinion currently. No sooner had he done that did Sasuke return his glance to the notebook in his hand. He grimaced at the almost entirely blank page. "Useless." He huffed, meaning the severe lack of information he was staring at. Somehow, his whisper travelled to Sakura's ears, making her bow her head and bit her lips in shame.  
  
Sasuke's gripe did not escape Naruto either. He sat up straight suddenly and gave Sasuke a rough shove. "Stop that! It wasn't Sakura-chan's fault! You're always blaming other people for stuff, bastard!"  
  
Sasuke shot both the fuming Naruto and the embarrassed Sakura a cursory glance. He sighed. "Sakura, I wasn't commenting about you. I was just frustrated at the severe lack of information we have on this case. Don't take it to heart," he let his glance sidelong to the by-now pouting Naruto. "... happy now, idiot?"  
  
"Don't call me an idiot!" Naruto immediately screeched, arms flailing. "And that wasn't even a sincere apology! Do it again!" He pointed a finger at the exasperated Sasuke. "Use the word 'sorry' this time!"  
  
In the background, Sakura giggled, while Sasuke growled and turned away. "This isn't going anywhere," he announced with a shake of his head. Standing, he stole a glance at the door. "Since we can't get the modus operandi of this demon straight, we're going to have to utilise the messy, troublesome way of stalking the target. Come on, Naruto," he grumbled, already halfway towards the door.  
  
"Why the hell are you so impatient?" Naruto barked angrily, standing up and facing his partner. It did not seem like he was going to bolt from the room anytime soon. "You make it seem like it's Sakura-chan's fault that we're going to need to use another method!"  
  
"I'm not in the mood to argue with you, dim-wit," Sasuke almost snarled. "We've been dragging this mission for far too long. It's just a minor water demon, we can take it easily, if we can just find it. Coming to interrogate a victim isn't even usually on the list of things we need to do. Kakashi's just trying to drag this out for as long as he can. If we start our stalking now, we can weed the demon out by this week instead of wasting time here, asking Sakura questions she will never have answers to."  
  
The room was silent, as the boys stared levelly at each other. Sakura's lip trembled more than it already was. Although she knew it wasn't meant to hurt her, she could not help but feel stung by Sasuke's words. "I'm sorry..." she whispered again. In the silence of the room, her voice could be heard loudly and clearly. "It's just that... whenever I try to think about what you ask me... I hit a brick wall and can't go any further..." She wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry... I really tried my best..."  
  
But neither boys appeared to have heard her - too fully engaged in their heated staring match. "You," Naruto began first, a hint of red tinting his angry blue eyes, "really don't want to see my face so much, that you'd do anything to finish this mission as soon as possible?"  
  
Sasuke was slightly surprised at the accusation. That had certainly not been the reason why he so eagerly wanted to close the case - he had just kept thinking that the case was a simple one and that he didn't want to delay any further.  
  
In fact, he had completely forgotten that Naruto was only to be with him for one mission.  
  
Unable to come up with a proper response, Sasuke frowned slightly and looked away with a quiet snort under his breath. He did feel a tiny bit of regret. But no, he would not be missing the idiot. He could not wait to be rid of the loudmouth, overly bright and cheerful boy. If they did survive this mission in one piece, he was going to be happy that he can finally send the idiot back to the laboratory. He was going to be happy to see the blond getting restrained and chained back to his singular, lonely bed in the white-washed room that had been his home for the past 16 years of his life. He was going to go out and get himself drunk with joy.  
  
He was going to ignore the dull, throbbing pain of reluctance in his heart.  
  
Naruto had, on the other hand, taken the silence to be Sasuke's unwitting admission. He scowled angrily at the new development. Inside, however, he was upset and hurt. He truly looked up to Sasuke as a friend and partner. The reports he had read - cold, hard facts though they were, showed to him that Sasuke was, if nothing else, powerful and efficient. And there was nothing else Naruto hoped more for than an acknowledgement from a powerful shinobi about his own strength. A reassurance that he was needed in this world after all.  
  
He willed the tears away. He would not show any weakness before the two people that had come to matter to him. "Fine," he muttered, in a low rumble - like a growl of a predator. His eyes flashed and he stalked over to Sakura's bedside. Giving her a lopsided smile, he asked, "So, Sakura-chan, you want to be able to remember something about the attack, right?" His smile became a grin when Sakura nodded hesitantly. "That's great! Because I know of a memory restoring Jutsu that may just be of some help!"  
  
While Sakura jerked into attention, Sasuke nearly had a heart attack where he was sitting. He turned to Naruto and narrowed his eyes. "You know a memory restoring Jutsu... and you never thought about mentioning it all this time while we were running around like headless chickens trying to string up information from Sakura's sketchy answers?"  
  
Naruto had a feeling the question was entirely rhetorical, but he answered in the brightest, cheeriest, happiest tone he had anyway. "Yup!"  
  
Sasuke, for his part, found himself unable to react.  
  
"But," the blond's face turned serious, "it's a Jutsu from the Forbidden Scroll... I think they called it a 'mind probe' or something. Since it's from the Forbidden Scroll, I don't think it's very legal..." He pouted and glanced at Sakura. "... and I've never used it before. Iruka-sensei tells me all the Jutsu I've learnt from the Forbidden Scroll I'm not supposed to use at all because they have, like, very terrible side effects and stuff." He looked at Sakura, who looked back at him with determination. "Are you willing to take the risk, Sakura-chan?"  
  
It was only a small, split second glance in Sasuke's general direction that Sakura threw - meant more to reassure herself than anything, but both boys noticed it. Sasuke turned away, an impassive look on his face, whereas Naruto tried to mask the hurt he knew was showing up on his countenance. Quickly, Sakura returned her driven eyes to the blond. "I'm ready. I'll do it."  
  
Naruto averted his glance uncomfortably. "You don't have to take the risk if you're just doing this to prove something..." he muttered, unhappy that Sakura seemingly valued Sasuke's opinion over her own life. But his next words were cut short by Sakura's curt, lucid reply.  
  
"Do it, Naruto," the pink-haired teen was frowning so hard, her face looked almost scary. "I want to be of use and of help. I've been lying on this hospital bed, thinking and thinking about what my life could have been. People who claimed they knew me came and kept trying to jolt my memory. I don't... I can't feel anything for them..." She shook her head at the thought. "... I need this, Naruto. I need to know what happened. I feel like I'm letting down a lot of people if I don't at least try." She tugged hopefully at his sleeves. "Please?" She pleaded. "At least if I must die, I want to die knowing I was doing something meaningful, and not rotting my life away on a pale, white hospital bed."  
  
Even Sasuke seemed suitably impressed by Sakura's sudden grit. He narrowed his eyes at Naruto, who had his back against him. He was in no position to command Naruto to stop from carrying out a dangerous Jutsu, if the other party had requested it, so even if he had felt uncomfortable with the idea, the only thing he could do was to protest it - which he most certainly was not. This could provide a great clue as to the direct whereabouts of the Mizu-Youma. He wasn't letting it up for anything in the world.  
  
Naruto took only a moment more to decide. He sighed, and his shoulders sagged slightly. "Well, if you say, so Sakura-chan." He wheeled a stool to Sakura's bedside and gestured for Sasuke to come closer, which he did. "This Jutsu is not physically harmful by nature," the blond explained, "but it requires that I use Chakra to infiltrate Sakura-chan's mind. From there, I will search for the information I need. But there is a lot of information in a person's mind," Naruto put a hand on the back of his head sheepishly, "so... Sasuke, I need you to ask Sakura-chan questions that will evoke the correct kind of memories."  
  
From the side, Sasuke nodded - slightly fascinated about this Forbidden Jutsu that Naruto was describing. He had heard about the Forbidden Scroll, but never seen it before. He figured it would be a highly valued and tightly guarded Scroll, and how Naruto had gotten his hands on it baffled him. Maybe he would ask when this whole thing was over.  
  
Seeing that Sasuke had no objections, Naruto returned his attention to Sakura. "Sakura-chan," he started, "you're going to be feeling veeery strange once this Jutsu starts. As much as possible, try not to struggle. Otherwise both you and I will be in big trouble, mmkay?" The blond looked at Sakura for a positive response, something to indicate that she had understood. Sakura nodded gravely. Naruto stared a while more at the girl, as if trying to determine if she was truly ready for this. He then sighed slightly and nodded. "Stay very still, Sakura-chan. This'll be over in a minute. Sasuke," he turned slightly to regard his partner, "you only have time to ask one question. Make that question count!"  
  
"I know, idiot," Sasuke smirked.  
  
The blond scowled unhappily at him, and said nothing more. He turned back to Sakura, forming a series of complicated seals. Sasuke briefly wondered if he should have activated the Sharingan to copy the moves for future reference, but thought the better of it. He couldn't lose his concentration now - they had to count on this Jutsu to get the answers they so desperately needed for progress.  
  
Slowly, Sakura's bright, green eyes dulled, and she was set in a daze. Sasuke saw Naruto glance at him from the corner of his eyes, understanding that to be his cue. He looked seriously at Sakura, who was looking ahead at nothing. He could /hear/ his mind beginning to work overtime, trying to settle on a question that would bring back the most memories.  
  
The problem, though, as Sasuke knew, was not in Sakura or her seeming inability to recall. The root problem, was that there was a sentient presence that had infiltrated Sakura's mind through her Chakra points. That presence was withholding access to the memories they wanted - feeding on it for survival. That much Shikamaru's photographs had proven to him. As the seconds ticked by, and Naruto glanced worriedly at him, Sasuke breathed, his question for the presence within Sakura ready.  
  
"Hey, demon. Wanna share with us some of those nice memories you've been feeding on?"  
  
Naruto would have protested the completely off-topic question, had he not suddenly feel a pull where he had focused his Chakra on - namely, Sakura's mind. He had to hold his breath, as a new barrage of information assaulted his senses. Having never used the Jutsu before, he had not known what to expect. He thought he was going to be merely the middleman, joining Sakura's consciousness back to her subconscious self. He certainly did not know he would be receiving the memories first-hand. He could see night in his eyes, even though the sunlight from the window told him that it was day. He could hear a strange, drizzling sound, and a sharp object slicing madly through the air. He thought there would be screams; but he heard none.  
  
And as the whoosing sound came to a close, Naruto found himself standing amidst a throng of people, looking up at the building of the police headquarters - which glowed eeriely in the light of the full, red moon in the background. A tall, dark shadow loomed over him, but all he could see were the fangs of the creature, widening into a grin and dribbling with saliva. Naruto was seized by panic. He willed his rooted feet to move, to no avail. He tried to speak, but could hear no sound. Cold swear poured down his cheeks, but he no longer could feel it.  
  
"  
  
Somebody was calling his name. He could not be sure.  
  
"You," the creature before him suddenly spoke, in a loud, booming voice, "will be the one."  
  
Naruto gulped. His eyes widened.  
  
"You're the fortunate one, weak human!" The creature dashed towards Naruto at breakneck speed, and the blond could not even find strength to topple onto the ground. "You'll be the one to lead me to--"  
  
"NARUTO!!"  
  
There was a buffer moment of reaction, as both Naruto and Sakura threw their heads slightly backwards, like someone had just given them both a gentle push on the forehead. Colour immediately returned to their glazed eyes. They both blinked once, then looked at each other out of sheer reflex.  
  
Sakura collapsed first, her head hitting the pillow before Sasuke could even ask her if she was all right. He heard Naruto gasp in a small voice and turned around just in time to see the blond tumble over his own feet towards the ground.  
  
Panic immediately rose from within him. "Naruto!" He cried out again, reaching out to stop the boy from falling completely. What if he dashed his head against a chair? What if he got a cut on a rusty steel knife? What if the roof suddenly fell and crushed him to death?! If Naruto was to die, Sasuke wanted to make sure he had a say in the manner of it! He was not going to let his partner die from something idiotic! No, he would not take that lying down!  
  
The Uchiha was relieved, therefore, to manage to catch onto one of Naruto's wrist before the blond completely collapsed onto the ground. He quickly heaved Naruto over to the couch, where he could see plainly that Naruto was in much mental anguish. Before he could say another word, however, a file clattered to the floor from the doorway, and he was forced to look up. His heart almost seized when he saw that it was a nurse standing there, with wide, frightened eyes. Had she seen? That they were risking a Kinjutsu right in the hospital? The emotional side of Sasuke quickly jumped into action, ready with many excuses he could give to avoid the issue.  
  
He had not needed to speak yet, for the nurse asked with her quiet, panicked voice, "Wh... What's going on? What... what happened here?"  
  
Sasuke relaxed, upon hearing her clueless question. It didn't appear as if she had seen anything much. Quickly, he ordered, "Go check out the girl on the bed. She passed out a while ago, and I'm not sure if she's all right," he waved a in Sakura's direction. The nurse nodded quickly and ran towards the bed, almost tripping over the upturned stool in the event. Once he saw that the nurse had reached, he turned back to face Naruto, who was now rubbing his temples with great force. "Hey, idiot! You still alive?" He asked, a little too desperately for his liking, but it would have to do.  
  
At first, Naruto did not say anything. This worried Sasuke, because unless Naruto was dead or otherwise rendered speechless, no pain or injury in the world at all could prevent him from defending himself against namecalling. He shook the boy slightly, since calling out to him didn't appear to have any effect. "Naruto! Wake up!" The shakings became more and more violent. "Come on!"  
  
"Shut up, Sasuke," Naruto raised a hand to swat Sasuke's away. He shoved the boy aside and sat up straight from lying against the back of the couch. "Arrrgh you're giving me a bigger headache than the one I'm already having, asshole!"  
  
In the meantime, Sasuke had been pushed such that he landed on the couch space beside Naruto, shock registering on his features. He breathed again when he heard Naruto throw insults out at him and resisted the urge to smirk, since it would have been entirely inappropriate. He balled a hand up into a fist and punched Naruto on the head. It was light enough so that it didn't harm Naruto in any bit, but forceful enough to send the blond tumbling over onto his side.  
  
"You jerk! What do you think you're doing?!" Naruto immediately rebounded back, whipping around and pointing rudely at Sasuke. "Just what is your problem?! Can't you tell if someone's in pain or not so that you shouldn't punch them and make them suffer more pain?! You have no common sense, you know that? Bastard! Jerk! Asshole! Idiot! Pest! Pesky little..."  
  
"Umm..." the voice of the nurse cut Naruto short. The two boys turned to look in front, where the nurse was standing, a finger to her lip. "So...sorry to be disturbing you... b-b-but... I've done a routine check on Sakura and... and she's in good health, physically...-"  
  
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto immediately bolted onto his feet, his current life purpose of verbally abusing Sasuke temporarily forgotten. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his head, he rushed over to Sakura's bedside, looking at her face with worry and slight fear of something. Sasuke could only blink at Naruto's fickle temperament.  
  
Until the nurse spoke again, he had forgotten that he was in a predicament that was rather dire as well.  
  
"Excuse me..." the jittery voice was saying, and Sasuke snapped into attention. He narrowed his eyes warily at the young-looking nurse, who had continued on, saying, "...what... what were you doing? Sakura-san appears to be in some kind of after-Jutsu withdrawal... I... I think it would be helpful to us if you told us... what... what Jutsu were you trying to use on her... al-although I need to remind you that... that non-medic Ninjas are not supposed... not supposed to use a Jutsu on a patient..."  
  
"I know that," Sasuke cut her short, nerves getting a little frayed by her constant stuttering. He leaned slightly forward and glanced at the floor to a side. He tried to decide if he would tell the nurse the truth, and risk getting both Naruto and his asses fried once the word reaches Kakashi. Realising it would do no one any good to lie, he sighed. "We were trying to use a Jutsu to restore her memory," he blandly stated, hoping Hinata would miss the fact that it wasn't just any Jutsu, but a Kinjutsu. "Sakura's probably just out cold at the sudden mental force. You said she's fine physically too, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem."  
  
"I... I see..." the nurse was stunned into silence. She did not really know how to respond.  
  
"You... you're Hinata?" Naruto's voice drifted into the conversation. He was still standing beside the unconscious Sakura's bed, but his attention was now on the nurse. "You're Hinata, right?" The blond kept probing. "The nurse who lent me some money for the coin machine, remember?" Slowly, a grin spread across his face. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage! Ah, but I already told you that. Umm... I don't have any money with me today still, so I hope you don't mind it if I pay you back some time later..."  
  
"Idiot," Sasuke muttered under his breath, looking out of the window.  
  
"...and I heard that, Sasuke!!" Naruto screeched immediately, storming over to the couch. "You should just shut up if you have nothing better to say, stupid Sasuke!"  
  
"Well have you gotten anything out from the Jutsu?" Sasuke quipped, ignoring Naruto's attempt to make him look bad. "If not, then we're going back to apply for permission to do things our way from now on. We can't waste anymore time here."  
  
At that, Naruto opened his mouth to say something. He clamped it shut quickly, though, and snuck a glance in Sakura's direction. After that, he returned to staring at Sasuke with confusion and hesitation written all over his face. The Uchiha quirked an eyebrow at him, hoping that it help him convey his desire to hear an answer - positive or negative. Naruto remained astoundingly quiet.  
  
"No?" Sasuke finally said, after the long silence had stretched for far too long. He rose to full height slowly and put his hands in his pockets. "In that case, then we'll just head back--"  
  
"Wait!" Naruto cried out, surprising both Sasuke and Hinata. His face was now twisted with determination and a funny sort of anger. "Wait!" He repeated, shoulders tensed. "I... she... argh! Just wait for a while! Once she comes to, she can tell us what she saw! I'm sure she can, so just... just wait a bit!"  
  
"Didn't you see her memories too?" Sasuke was miffed at the sudden insecurity in Naruto's disposition. "If you can't remember anything useful, I highly doubt she can, too. People always forget the few minutes prior to being knocked unconscious or falling asleep. This is a fact she's not spared from."  
  
"I do remember!!" Naruto yelled back in response, and Hinata was so taken aback she knocked a chair over in her retreat. Sasuke's glance on Naruto intensified and he waited for the blond to continue. "I remember what she saw on that night... only a few seconds, but I do remember! It's just that... it's just..." He glanced over his shoulder at the unmoving figure of Sakura again, a sigh escaping from his lips. "... it's just that she needs to tell you herself... to make her feel like she's worth anything at all..."  
  
Sasuke blinked in surprise. He had almost forgotten that the point behind Sakura risking the Jutsu was so that she could gain some approval and feel like she was of use to others. He hadn't thought it was that important, and personally he didn't really give a damn as to what she wanted to do as long as he could get some information out of her that way. It had also never occurred to him that Naruto had such a kind, gentle streak in him that would make him remember something as minor as Sakura's feelings. Irritated though he was, he could feel a strange understanding for Sakura's desperate bid for acknowledgement.  
  
After all, he knew he was just like that, many, many years ago.  
  
"Keh!" He made a random snorting noise as he plonked himself back onto the sofa. Folding his arms across his chest, he shot Naruto what he hoped was the most lethal glare he had in his arsenal. "This had better be worth my time, dead-last."  
  
Naruto was relieved, and surprised. The apprehension disappeared from his face, and he now stared at Sasuke with open amazement.  
  
"I... I hope you don't mind me intruding upon you..." Hinata's timid voice once again politely asked for inclusion in the conversation. Both boys turned to stare at her, and she was daunted. "May... may I know what kind of a Jutsu you cast on Sakura? May... maybe I can be of some help here... I... I'm a registered medic-nin after all..."  
  
"Woah!" Naruto was quick to respond. "You mean it, Hinata?" He went up to her, and before Sasuke could kick him in warning, blurted, "It's a Kinjutsu only Youma or Younin knows! It probes someone's mind to evoke some long forgotten memory... or something. I couldn't really read the small print in the Scroll. All I know is that it's such a great Jutsu, even Iruka-sensei was so afraid when he heard about it! Hahah!!"  
  
From where he was seated on the couch, Sasuke buried his face into his hands. He found himself struck absolutely speechless. Even Hinata turned to look at the boy with embarrassed pity. A partner who revealed everything to someone who could very well be an enemy for all he knew was certainly detrimental to the career lifespan of any police.  
  
When her professional side kicked in, however, she found that she was slightly angry at the boys for having done what they did. "Naruto-kun... Sasuke-kun..." she began, no longer stuttering, although still quiet and shy-sounding. "...I understand that the police have a certain measure of right in how they question the victims of certain crimes... but a Kinjutsu! Sakura-san is not a criminal. Please... please don't do this to anyone anymore." She made her way over to Sakura, putting a hand on her forehead. "... You are right... she's just in a bit of mental anguish, but it can be cured. Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun?" She turned around to look at them both shyly. "I won't report you this time, but can I have your word that... that you won't pull such a stunt again?"  
  
Sasuke nodded slowly, slightly stunned that Hinata had uttered so much without stumbling over all her words. He remembered now that she was the shy, lonely girl always staring at the corner, in the same class as he was during the Academy. She was still painfully shy, but had shown great improvement from her school days. At that thought, Sasuke vaguely wondered how much he had changed from then as well.  
  
"Of... of course!" Naruto's flustered answer to Hinata's question came slightly late. Slapping himself on the chest, Naruto swore, "You can count on it, Hinata! I like Sakura-chan too much to put her into any kind of danger!"  
  
Hinata nodded, a glimmer of disappointment in her eyes, before turning away to examine Sakura again. "Sakura-san will be fine." She put a hand over the girl's head and concentrated her Chakra there. In three seconds, Sakura's pained features soothed out into blanks, and she showed signs of awakening.  
  
Naruto gulped nervously, just as Sakura's eyelids began to flutter. They opened slowly, like someone would when coming out from deep slumber. But that was where all the resemblance ended. Instantly upon fully opening her eyes, Sakura bolted upright, straight as a ruler. She turned her head about, catching sight of Naruto and Sasuke near the couch quickly. "Naruto, Sasuke-kun!" She exclaimed. "I... I remember! I remember what happened that night... just a little... but still!"  
  
"That's great, Sakura-chan!" Naruto burst out with excitement. Sasuke did nothing more than nod an acknowledgement, for he already knew that Sakura had something to say to them. He leaned back slightly and waited.  
  
"It was the night of the festival..." Sakura continued, knowing she was blabbering but not daring to stop in case she forgot again. "... there was a night market right across the police headquarters building, and we were there... there was a lot of commotion, and somehow I got separated from my friends. I walked about aimlessly for a while... then... a shadow attacked me."  
  
"A shadow?" Sasuke frowned. He knew Youma had the ability to create illusions of shadows, but shadows shouldn't be able to attack physically, as far as he knew.  
  
Sakura nodded, gulping slightly. "I... I don't know why but... there was this shadow, with a big grin on its face. It said something very cryptic," she frowned, trying to remember the exact words, "... it said... that I was going to be the one to lead it to..." Naruto became even more excited at this part, for it was the part he got forcefully pulled out from. "...the source of endless Chakra..."  
  
There was silence in the room.  
  
"Source of endless Chakra?" Sasuke's voice was strangely sombre. He had heard that phrase, or read about it somewhere before. Recently, too. Though he could not remember the details. "Do you know what the shadow could have been talking about?"  
  
"If my gut feeling is right," Sakura tilted her head to a side, "the monster did explain to me what in the world it meant by 'source of endless Chakra', but I can't remember what he said after that so..." She looked apologetically at Sasuke. "I hope that was of some help?"  
  
"Maybe," Sasuke grunted noncommitedly. He scribbled something into his notebook and looked thoughtful. Naruto fidgeted about and kept throwing meaningful glances in Sakura's direction. He looked as if he was waiting for Sakura to say something more. Noticing this, Sasuke made a noiseless sigh. "Is there anything else about that night that particularly stands out, Sakura?" The question seeming surprised everybody else, even Hinata, who had been standing quietly to a side all this while. Ignoring the glances, Sasuke continued, "Something about the crowd? Something about the people who were with you? Something about the building? The weather? The trees? Even if it's just something slightly different or strange. It would help in the long run."  
  
Naruto smiled gratefully at Sasuke, but before the Uchiha could see it, the blond had already turned back to Sakura with hopeful eyes. "Well, Sakura-chan?" His eyes were brimming with anticipation. "Do you remember? Anything that's really strange?"  
  
Sakura's expressions became troubled. "Even if you say that... I don't..."  
  
"The sky, Sakura-chan!" Naruto clamoured, making wild, frantic moving motions. "Remember what you saw when you lifted your head to the sky that night?"  
  
Caught between being annoyed and amused, Sakura was frowning through thinned lips. She put two fingers to her chin and seriously considered the question. "The sky..." she repeated dully, trying to recall. "I remember the sky was... very clear..." Her words made Sasuke and Hinata don a surprised look on their faces, whereas Naruto merely released a sound of happy relief. "So very clear... I could see the stars... and the moon... the moon was... oh yeah... the moon was full. And... and it was..." her breath hitched, a dizzy spell evidently hitting her. "... it was red..." she finished in a whisper, falling back down on her pillow, face wincing.  
  
Hinata was by her side in an instant, checking her pulse and monitoring her condition with the practiced ease of a true professional. Naruto and Sasuke were both standing and ready to help out should Hinata require assistance. After a while, she stepped back, lifted the blankets over Sakura, and shook her head at the boys, gesturing outside.  
  
The boys complied.  
  
Once outside, with the door firmly shut behind them, Hinata sighed. "So-sorry if I offended you in any way just now..." she had reverted back to her timid self, much to the disappointment of both boys. Looking around nervously, she continued, "Sa... Sakura-san needs her rest... I think the... the Jutsu really wore her willpower out... I... I can pass this off as a normal headache on... only once, so... so please don't try this again... okay?"  
  
Naruto grinned widely. Sasuke nodded reluctantly. "Of course, Hinata!" The blond almost yelled. "Don't worry, harming Sakura or getting you into trouble is the /last/ thing either of us want to do! Right, Sasuke?" Naruto elbowed Sasuke violently, causing the boy to almost double over in pain. Unable to retort properly after that, Sasuke simply nodded.  
  
"I... I'm glad to hear that," Hinata had taken to tapping her fingers against each other. "... I... I hope you complete your mission so-soon!"  
  
"Don't worry 'bout us, Hinata!" Naruto bragged, striking yet another heroic pose. "You're looking at the future Hokage here! Nothing'll go wrong! You can rest assured!-- Woah, watch it, bastard!" Naruto almost crashed into a wall after Sasuke had grabbed his wrist in mid-speech and was attempting to tow him away.  
  
"Let's /go/, you absolute moron," Sasuke growled, "Hinata needs to get back to her work, and so do we, in case you haven't noticed!"  
  
"You don't have to always be an asshole about what you do, you know!" Naruto griped back, but ceased with his struggling and just went along.  
  
As soon as Sasuke noticed this, he let the blond's hand go. "Whatever. I know this is going to be very hard for you to process, but just keep very quiet and we'll be back to the office in no time."  
  
"I do not always make noise! You take that back, stupid, stupid Sasuke!"  
  
And Hinata could still hear the echoes of their bickering, even when their footsteps had long faded into nothingness.  
  
Those people were strange, she thought.  
  
But she also decided that she liked the way they could make her feel much at ease.  
  
A signal light blinked outside one of the rooms along the same corridor, and she hurriedly scurried there, renewed with a strange, new kind of vigour to do her job and to do it well.  
  
  
  
  
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24/9/2004  
Part 10 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	11. Chapter Ten

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Chapter Ten  
  
  
  
"A full moon?" Kakashi repeated with slight disbelief. He glanced once at Iruka, who nodded and immediately exited the room. The two boys stared at the sight, neither knowing what to make of it. "Come on, boys," Kakashi gestured to the table, "sit down, and we'll talk further."  
  
Noiselessly, both boys moved towards the chairs. Naruto sat himself down and quickly spoke up, "I saw it too, Kakashi-sensei! It was true! There was this really red moon in the sky when--OW!!"  
  
"Shut up, moron!" Sasuke turned his face towards Naruto and whispered very quietly. For the first time since his induction into the department he was grateful that the table width was generously large. "He's not supposed to know about that!" He continued, and Naruto's eyes widened in sudden realisation. He scrunched his face up sheepishly.  
  
"Oh?" Kakashi, however, was not a Jounin for nothing. "What am I not supposed to know about, if you don't mind my nose poking into your affairs?"  
  
"No-nothing!" Naruto quickly responded, earning him a warning glare from Sasuke. If Kakashi ever did find out about the Kinjutsu, he was going to punish them both severely, and he knew it. It was goodwill on Hinata's part that she said she wouldn't report it. Now they couldn't risk ruining it by having Naruto spill it all out within the first few paragraphs of their meeting!  
  
"She remembered something," Sasuke interceded in what he hoped was a calm, monotonous tone of voice. Folding his arms across his chest and looking away, he proceeded, "it was one of the night of the bazaars that she got attacked. There was a full moon in the sky that night."  
  
"A full moon during the bazaar..." Kakashi turned thoughtful. "Do you know what day it was, Sasuke?"  
  
Sasuke shrugged.  
  
"Kakashi-san," Iruka burst into the room with more documents and addressed his superior without delay. He did not wait for a respond, rounding the table and placing the files before the Jounin. "I've checked. There was a full moon during one of the days of the bazaar all right. But the thing is..." the Chuunin extracted a piece of paper from the stack and frowned at it.  
  
"But the thing is?" Kakahi prompted, when the silence stretched far too long for his liking.  
  
Iruka finished reading the last line on the page he had picked, in confirmation of what he wanted to say. He lifted his eyes and stared seriously at the other occupants in the room.  
  
"The thing is, that according to the meteorology department, the Konoha night skies have been enshrouded with thick, mist clouds since nearly six months ago.  
  
Kakashi took a silent glance at the document that had been placed before him. "Half a year ago, huh..." he swept a palm over his face. "... that's about when this whole Mizu-Youma fiasco started..."  
  
"If there were thick mist-clouds, how is it that Sakura could see the moon?" Sasuke frowned.  
  
"Maybe she remembered wrongly," Kakashi shrugged, closing the document and returning it to Iruka. "She could have made things up so that you boys had something to report to me about - no big deal..."  
  
"She didn't!" Naruto's angered voice echoed throughout the rather large but empty meeting room. Iruka and Kakashi stared at him with surprise, whereas Sasuke groaned and buried his head in his palms. "I was there with her! I saw it too! The skies were really clear and there was a full red moon in the sky, right behind the police headquarters!" He frantically gestured, ignoring the dumbstruck looks on both Iruka and Kakashi's faces. "That big shadowy thing was creepy! It had fangs and was drooling all over! And it could talk! It was saying something like... err..."  
  
"Naruto!" Iruka's horrified voice interrupted the blond, who blinked questioningly at him. "You didn't!" He mouthed.  
  
"I didn't?" Naruto frowned in confusion.  
  
"The Kinjutsu!" Iruka shook his head, eyes still wide with disbelief. "I thought I told you that those Jutsus are dangerous and have harmful side effects, and that you should never-!!"  
  
Kakashi had reached out while Iruka was trying to scold Naruto for doing something he shouldn't. His palm stretched out before Iruka in a motion that suggested for a pause. Iruka took a deep breath, pausing in his ranting, and turned to look at him.  
  
"What did the thing say, Naruto?" Kakashi's face was unreadable, although there was an evident frown touching his eye.  
  
"Something about... Sakura-chan will be the one who will lead him to the source of endless Chakra?" He folded his arms across his chest and pouted. "Hmm... not that I know what it means, but yeah, it was something like that."  
  
The last thing Sasuke remembered of that particular meeting was Kakashi's open frowning, Iruka's terrifyingly pale facade, and how the room atmosphere suddenly turned frighteningly cold and dangerous.  
  
  
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The boys were shooed out of the room with some curt, simple instructions, leaving only the adults and their heavy thoughts behind. Kakashi had taken to tapping his pen on the table in a constant, dull melody; and Iruka hovered behind him quietly, waiting for him to speak first - knowing that he would.  
  
And he did.  
  
"This case was only assigned to us after Sakura's attack was classified as a direct challenge to the Taiyoubu, seeing how many teams of normal Jounin have not been able to solve it..." Kakashi began, slow, steady, meaningfully. "Otherwise it only a normal A-rank mission. The Taiyoubu rules dictate that any Shinobi taking on missions ranked A and above must be accompanied by a Youma-Ningen."  
  
"Naruto was the only Youma-Ningen available in the entire research faculty for these past few months," Iruka frowned, as he caught on to Kakashi's line of thought.  
  
The Jounin briefly glanced at Iruka, then returned to staring at nothing and continued, "Red moon. Source of endless chakra. A Genjutsu only Naruto could break through with his Kinjutsu..." He swung off the chair and stood up quickly, hands on the table, still pondering over something. "... the similarities are uncanny, but we mustn't jump to conclusions."  
  
Two pairs of eyes met each other in a semi-knowing look.  
  
"After all, how could a mere water demon think of wanting to control the explosive Chakra of the Kyuubi?"  
  
Iruka looked doubtful. For a moment, he almost thought Kakashi was trying to comfort him about Naruto. "One more trip to the library it is, then?" He asked with a smile.  
  
Kakashi sighed at the thought.  
  
"Yeah. One more trip to the library, it seems."  
  
  
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Sasuke let out a sigh of mixed relief and concern. He stretched, finding to his surprise that he was beginning to view sunlight as enjoyable. Scoffing slightly at the mere thought, he leaned forward on the bench he was seated on, folding his arms so that his elbows rested on his thighs. Just about a week ago, there had been a large bazaar in this park. The rubbish had yet to be completely cleared.  
  
"Saaasukeee!!" A loud and familiar voice drew him out of his thoughts. Sasuke glanced slightly to his left. He could see a ball of orange and yellow hurtling towards the bench at high speed. For a terrifying moment, he wondered if he should throw some shurikens at the danger hazard. That moment soon passed, however, when Naruto came to a screeching halt before him. The blond grinned maniacally, flashing the victory-sign at Sasuke. "Mission accomplished!"  
  
Sasuke was momentarily stunned at the declaration. Then he remembered that he had asked Naruto to scout around the area, ask the people if they had seen a full moon on the night Sakura was attacked - the blond had been whining to do something since they were quite literally booted out of the meeting room by Kakashi. Sasuke sighed.  
  
"Good," he said, not entirely sure if he meant the commendation. He moved to the side of the bench so Naruto had space to sit, "so what did you find out?"  
  
"Nothing we don't already know," Naruto kicked his feet outwards and leaned back so much that his head went way over the backrest and now stared at the bright, blue sky. "They hardly noticed the sky, but those who did were dead certain that they saw nothing but mist clouds."  
  
Sasuke thought over this new tidbit carefully. This could only mean that Sakura saw a Genjutsu of sorts. But why would a demon go through all this trouble of setting up an elaborate Genjutsu just to attack a young girl who could bring him no benefit? Sakura could lead the water demon to the source of endless Chakra, was what the shadowy figure had said. But how? Background checks on Sakura by Kakashi had landed them back to square one. Sakura was as normal as the random girl on the street. He was unable to come up with a satisfactory answer with the information he currently had on hand.  
  
"Heey, Shikamaru!!" It was Naruto's voice again. Sasuke perked up despite himself. He had grown to acknowledge Shikamaru as an intelligent, trustworthy colleague since the slideshow event and did not particularly mind talking with the patrol guard again.  
  
From about two lampposts apart, Shikamaru noticed the duo. He slowly made his way over with his patrol partner, currently stuffing his face with a bag of potato chips.  
  
"Yo," he greeted simply, stopping a short distance in front of the bench. Naruto grinned and Sasuke nodded. "Whaccha both doing out here? No mission objective today?" He raised an eyebrow in query.  
  
"Kakashi-sensei asked us to ask the people in the park if they remember seeing the full moon some nights ago," Naruto stated with a shrug. "I dunno, he seemed pretty eager to get rid of us just now, so we just left."  
  
"I see," Shikamaru scratched the back of his head, glancing at a spot in the distance. It was like he was not really listening at all.  
  
"Weren't we on patrol in the park area for the past few weeks, Shikamaru?" His partner stopped munching chips and quipped.  
  
"Maybe," came the half-hearted reply.  
  
Naruto squinted at the slightly more plump boy. "Ah!!" He suddenly exclaimed. "You're that big guy in the canteen the other day! Chouji!"  
  
In response, Chouji tilted his head towards Naruto. "You still remember my name." He grinned. His expressions turned serious, however, as he carried on, "We were patrolling this area for the past few weeks. I don't really look at the sky when we patrol, but I'm pretty sure I never saw a full moon... or any moon at all, for that matter." He stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth and crunched on them. "Hope that helps!"  
  
"Aaah" Shikamaru had stopped daydreaming and now returned his attention to the conversation. "You guys really are very troublesome," he sighed. "There has been no clear night sky in Konoha for exactly six months and thirty days now. Within the first few minutes of the setting sun, thick mist clouds will have covered the entire sky from end to end of the village. This condition persisted on the presumed night of attack on Haruno Sakura as well. There was no visible moon in the sky from this park. The only location in Konoha where the night sky is visible nowadays is atop the monument and nowhere else." He breathed. "Was that the information you needed?"  
  
Both Naruto and Sasuke were stunned. "Err..." Naruto responded on pure reflex alone, "... yeah?"  
  
"Good," Shikamaru yawned and gestured at Chouji. "C'mon Chouji, let's go... wanna finish this before lunch so I can go laze around a bit..." His voice gradually faded, as he moved away.  
  
Chouji glanced once at Shikamaru, turned to smile at the duo still sitting on the bench, and ran off after his partner. "Hey, Shikamaru! Wait up! What about that BBQ treat you promised me?"  
  
For a while, only the sounds of chirping birds remained with the pair.  
  
Then, "Well, at least now we're /sure/ there was no moon in the sky during the night of the attack..."  
  
Almost immediately, Sasuke bapped the blond upside the head.  
  
"Ow! HEY!!" Naruto jumped to his feet and screeched. "What the hell did you do that for?!"  
  
"Brainless." Sasuke concluded succintly. He then stood and moved off towards a seemingly random direction.  
  
"I didn't say anything wrong!" Naruto defended loudly, scurrying after Sasuke. "It's true that the moon wasn't there when Sakura-chan was attacked! Shikamaru said it!"  
  
"I know that!" Sasuke replied with sheer exasperation. "Didn't you also catch that he said something else that is going to be of far greater value as information than 'the moon was not there that night'?!"  
  
"Of course I!!" Naruto opened his mouth to say no, but realised that it would make him look very bad and so turned away with a loud snort. "HMPH!! If you're so clever why don't you tell me?!"  
  
Rolling his eyes, Sasuke simply continued his trek. Naruto followed behind, glowering with slight humiliation.  
  
  
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It turned out that Sasuke was trying to locate the nearest telephone booth. Finding which, he had given Kakashi a call, only to find out that he was no longer in the headquarters - and neither was Iruka. Unsure of what to do next, the two boys had headed down to the only other location they could possibly have any business in - the hospital.  
  
Sakura was in good health, and still recognised them. She, however, could not recall anything about the day Naruto dug into her memories with the Kinjutsu. Her head now throbbed with greater pain, but she firmly insisted that whatever she had done, she had no regrets; even if she could not remember it. They squandered a great amount of time there, sharing theories about the attack. Naruto and Sasuke were both impressed that Sakura was a lot brighter than they had given her credit for. When late afternoon rolled by, Sasuke stood abruptly and bade Sakura good bye, surprising even Naruto. Then, the duo had exited the hospital and restarted their trek.  
  
They arrived at the monument just as the sun was setting.  
  
The wind was strong, but refreshing and comfortable. After scaling the wall, Sasuke took a seat on the huge ledge just above the heads of the Third and Fourth Hokages. The ledge also had an open-entry tent, two drink vending machines, and a very good view of the sunset. Settling down somewhere near the drink vending machine, Sasuke leaned backwards against the cliff face and let out a long sigh.  
  
"Watch it, Sasuke," Naruto sat down beside him cross-legged and made a face. "You're beginning to behave like a forty-year-old man nearing retirement."  
  
Sasuke glared at him. Turning back around to stare at the setting sun, he asked, "Well, idiot? Figured out why we're here yet?"  
  
Instead of being offended, Naruto actually got more excited. "Oh oh! Yes, yes!" He bounced about as much as he could seated down. "We're here because you're finally convinced that I'm so much stronger than you and will become Hokage one day, so you want to tell me where you're going to help carve my face on the wall!"  
  
Sasuke growled, then socked Naruto lightly in the jaw. "No, you little twerp," he harshly rebutted, "we're here because Shikamaru said this is the only spot in all of Konoha where we can see the night sky without the clouds surrounding it! Get it now?"  
  
Naruto was still rubbing his sore jaw. "Hey, I knew that!" He tried to complain, but knew that anything else would make him sound even sillier, so did not continue. He stared into the distance and pouted. "But what for? S'not like we could find anything out by determining whether or not we can see the moon from the monument..."  
  
"We're going to try to determine if it was really a full moon on the night Sakura was attacked," Sasuke announced, ignoring Naruto's inane remarks for now. "And if we can really see the night sky from here."  
  
Naruto frowned. "You don't make sense."  
  
Sasuke snorted. "Not to you."  
  
"Grr!" Naruto replied, then they fell into companionable silence. The setting sun cast a warm, comfortable glow over the duo. It was almost as if a word more would break the tranquility of the scene.  
  
Naruto got up sometime after the sky turned a blue tinge and dark clouds began to spread over the village. Sasuke had activated his Sharingan and was analysing the clouds, while Naruto hovered over the vending machines. Although Sasuke appreciated the peace, he did not find it comfortable that Naruto was being so quiet. That usually meant that he was about to pull a grand, colossal prank, or get into trouble of some sort. He immediately tensed, therefore, when he heard the sound of tin cans falling through the vending machine, then found himself the receipient of a cold, sweating can of soft drink.  
  
He stared at Naruto with a huge frown.  
  
"What?" Naruto frowned back, tossing the drink into Sasuke's lap nevertheless and taking a seat again. "It came straight from the machine. I couldn't have done anything to it."  
  
Sasuke examined the can very carefully. "Not with your level of skill, you can't," he concluded, then opened the can and took a tentative sip.  
  
Already dunking half the contents of the can into his mouth when Sasuke said that, it took all of Naruto's self control not to gag and spit all the water in his mouth out in Sasuke's face. He struggled with the liquid for what seemed like an eternity, before finally swallowing it all down in one lump. Wiping his lips angrily, he spat, "Just what the hell is your problem anyway?! Do you really need me here or not?!"  
  
Sasuke's eyes never left the horizon. The can drink was poised near his lips, but he had not taken another sip since the first. "Kakashi said we're not supposed to work individually," he murmured eventually, lowering the drink in his hands.  
  
"It's not work if I'm not doing anything!!" Naruto screeched.  
  
This time, Sasuke tore his glance away from the distance and turned to look at Naruto. He sighed. "Yeah, right, I keep forgetting. You're not just stupid - you're abnormally stupid." He pointed at the sky before Naruto could protest. "That is the sky you see there. Since you've been in Sakura's memories before, you might want to make yourself useful by telling me if that's the same sky you saw, dimwit."  
  
"Don't call me a dimwit!" Naruto growled back immediately. "And how would I know if the sky was the same or not! All skies look the same, hello?"  
  
"Well why don't you look out for /landmarks/ then?" Sasuke leaned towards the blond and pinned him with a glare. "How about the abnormal colour? Or the placement of the stars - oh, sorry, you probably don't know about that. Hey, I know!" The Uchiha made a mock sound of sudden revelation. "I'll bet you the crimson red moon could a sign of something, couldn't it?"  
  
Naruto tried to say something, but ended up balling his fists and grabbing streaks of his hair. "ARGH!" He yelled, as loudly as he could, into Sasuke's ear. "You're the most irritating person in the whole village!"  
  
"I'm afraid that title belongs to you," Sasuke scoffed, taking another sip from the can in his hands.  
  
"SERIOUSLY!" Naruto continued shouting. "I don't know how Kakashi-sensei manages to put up with you half the time! I don't know how Shikamaru and the rest of the people in the force puts up with you half the time! I don't know how your previous partners manage to put up with you half the time! And I don't know why /I/ should put up with you anymore!"  
  
"Kakashi is a freak, Shikamaru and the rest are more intelligent than you ever will be," Sasuke calmly and coolly replied each of Naruto's rhetorical questions, "and my previous partners..." he paused with a gasp, but quickly masked over his surprise and continued, "... are all dead. And as for you. You're an idiot. No other reason needed."  
  
By the time Sasuke deadpanned that his previous partners were all dead, Naruto was stunned into absolute silence. Iruka's words about the Hebi-Youma's curse came rushing back to him in full force, and he felt a twinge of pity for the boy. That bit, of course, was wiped out the instant Sasuke pronounced him an idiot. He grumbled, but this time did not snap back.  
  
"Hmph!" Naruto leant back and stared at the night sky instead. "I bet you drove them all to death with that stupid holier-than-thou attitude of yours!" He blurted, without really intending to. Quickly realising it, though, he slapped a hand over his mouth. His eyes reflected instant regret. He stole a fearful glance at Sasuke, tensing up so that he could make an immediate run for it should Sasuke attempt to murder him there and then. He was only slightly relieved to see that Sasuke had not moved from his position.  
  
His eyes had reverted to their normal black, however.  
  
And Naruto thought he looked so sad.  
  
"It's true," Sasuke made a brave attempt to hold back the thick, heavy lump that was building in his throat. He swallowed, then continued softly, "I killed them all."  
  
Naruto was shocked. "Sasuke..." he said, not knowing how else to respond.  
  
The Uchiha turned away so that Naruto could not see his face. "I killed them all. Nobody partners Uchiha Sasuke and gets away alive." There was a short, painful pause, where the boy lowered his head. "... that's why I didn't want anymore partners... didn't need to see someone important die again..."  
  
Sasuke had whispered the last part in an undertone, but Naruto heard it clearly anyway.  
  
The blond glanced outward at the evening sky, that was quickly being dissolved by the night.  
  
"I heard about your curse," he started, unaware of the sudden jump in Sasuke's shoulders, "from Iruka-sensei." Lowering his eyes so that they looked at his palms, he sighed. "I'm Youma-Ningen. I know all about that curse. It's not a curse I'd use on somebody - because it's just sadistic torture anyway I see it. If it were me, I'd have just given you a blow to the heart-" he demonstrated by striking out at the air in front of him, "...and be done with it. I mean, really." He pouted, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.  
  
Silent all this while, Sasuke spoke up at this. "What has your knowing about my curse has to do with anything, dumbass?"  
  
In the course of being flooded with anger and frustration, Naruto completely missed the hopeful tone of voice Sasuke had used. "Just... argh! I'm bad at expressing myself, okay?!" Naruto told himself internally again and again to keep calm, and to think of how mad Iruka would be if he punched Sasuke again. "Sasuke," he eventually said, after he felt he was cool-headed enough. "You may not think it this way, but you know... you and I... we're so alike."  
  
"I'm not dumb."  
  
"Yeah except that part-... oh hey. Wait. ARGH! Can't you shut up and let me finish first?!" Naruto growled angrily.  
  
Sasuke merely shrugged. "I don't see how we're even a single bit alike."  
  
"It's not something you can /see/!" Naruto snapped, balling his hands into fists again. "It's just a feeling! Something inside you that tells you hey, this is how it goes! Don't you feel like that sometimes too?"  
  
Sasuke did not respond, although he kept glancing at Naruto.  
  
"Anyway!" The blond proceeded, crossing his hands over his chest in a huff. "If it's the curse you're so worried about, I'll have you know that I have a damned curse on me too and I'm not even half the asshole you are!" He stuck a tongue out at Sasuke, who rolled his eyes. The blond's eyes turned sad, however, when he next said, "...Nobody likes the Kyuubi inside me... so nobody cared... if I should live or die. I had no friends... not even among the other Younin. They all thought I was some freak, because I was the monster that nearly destroyed Konoha sixteen years ago, you know?" He chuckled blandly.  
  
"I never had friends, okay? That's why I don't always know the right thing to say. Or the right things to do. And I... I'm always saying things I don't mean... and I..."  
  
"What are you getting at, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, softly. Quietly.  
  
Offended at the interruption, Naruto shot Sasuke an unhappy glare. Closing his eyes, he leaned slightly backwards.  
  
"What I'm getting at," he said, equally softly, "is that you're the closest thing I've ever had to a friend. Or something. You're all alone in this whole world..." Naruto's voice turned wistful. "...you and I both..." He glanced sidelong at Sasuke. "We may not like each other a whole lot but at least I know I can trust you to watch my back. And Iruka-sensei always teaches me that friends should never let one another down." He flashed a thumbs up at Sasuke. "It's just one mission, Sasuke. As long as you and I stick close together, nobody's going to harm us. I won't die, and you'll be free of that curse before you can say bye bye to me!"  
  
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. A slight blush creeped over his features, which was barely masked by the moonlight. "Stupid!" He cursed, not meaning it at all. "What makes you think I'll be any happier to see the likes of /you/ alive?!"  
  
Naruto's grin did not falter a bit.  
  
"And what did you mean, I'll be freed from the curse?" Sasuke's mind hung on to the other thing that had bothered him during Naruto's speech. "You don't mean... that the curse... can be... can be lifted?"  
  
Naruto creased his face into a random lour. "What are you talking about?" He sounded miffed. "Of course the curse can be lifted. All curses have a cure somewhere out there. So does the curse of the Hebi-Youma, even though it's a bit more abstract..."  
  
Sasuke nearly wanted to pounce on Naruto, but quickly composed himself and stared with anticipation at him instead. "What's the cure?! Tell me now!"  
  
"Yeah yeah, I was about to!" Naruto grumbled, shifting slightly backwards subconsciously. After putting adequate distance between himself and Sasuke, he said, "The cure is rather strange, but makes quite a lot of sense if you asked me," he shrugged. "There's only one thing you need to do." He waved a finger. "You need to make sure that your closest friend doesn't fall to the effects of the curse within a stipulated period of time. Once it's over, the curse will be lifted, and the mark will be gone."  
  
Sasuke was so excited about this new development that he was frightened. He grabbed Naruto's wrist tightly and pulled him slightly closer. "Are you sure?" He asked, unable to stop his voice from shaking. "What... what else is necessary? It can't just be that easy!"  
  
"S'up to you if you wanna believe me or not," Naruto shook his arm free. "I had some Hebi-Younin roommates before they went extinct, so I learned a few things from them."  
  
There was hope glimmering in Sasuke's eyes. "How long is that 'stipulated time period'?"  
  
"Now that is a bit subjective," Naruto tilted his head to a side. "The Younin told me no specific time period, but if you ask me," Naruto proudly pointed at himself with his thumb, "It just means one thing, doesn't it? As long as your closest friend stays alive all the time, then the curse'll definitely be lifted one day or another! Isn't that easier to understand?"  
  
For a split second, Sasuke almost opened his mouth to agree with Naruto. He gaped and held his tongue, however, when he realised who it was he was going to agree with. Jerking his head away, he mumbled, "...logic only an idiot like you can come up with."  
  
"HEY!" Naruto leapt to his feet. "I was only trying to help, ungrateful bastard! See if I ever tell you anything again! Hmph!!" He turned and looked in the opposite direction Sasuke was looking at, fuming with rage.  
  
There was a long silence.  
  
Then shuffling sounds came from Sasuke's general direction.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Although barely a whisper carried to his ears by the night breeze, Naruto immediately perked up. He grinned slyly and cocked his ears. "Huh? Whaa? I didn't hear that, Sasuke. Mind repeating it again?"  
  
The Uchiha shot him a lethal glare. "Too bad," he said sternly, and returned to staring at the horizon. Naruto, however, was too much in glee to be offended.  
  
"The great Uchiha Sasuke apologised!" Naruto hooted. "Maybe the curse'll be gone after all!"  
  
"Shut up," Sasuke said automatically, not really meaning it. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. "... I don't have a close friend," the Uchiha added as an afterthought. "...curse is not gonna be lifted..."  
  
If he had to be entirely frank with himself, Naruto knew he felt slightly hurt at that comment. He perked up and wore his usual smiling mask, however, while slapping Sasuke on his back and saying, "Don't worry pal, I know what you mean. Bastards like you couldn't get a friend even if you tried! S'okay! With the mighty Uzumaki Naruto around, you can be sure we'll find you a friend in no time! Then this mission won't be that much of a bugger after all!"  
  
Sasuke gave a noisy, deliberate sigh of contempt and displeasure.  
  
"Hey look!" Naruto's attention was suddenly on something else. He pointed at the sky. "The moon! It's... It's so red!"  
  
Sasuke cash his deep ponderings aside and quickly looked in the direction of Naruto's point. Sure enough, there was a red moon hanging clearly in the night sky, looking down upon the village with what seemed like deep disapproval. Thick clouds had surrounded the village yet again, so much so that both boys found it hard to see a rooftop from the monument, even if they squinted. Immediately suspicious, Sasuke turned on the Sharingan. He scanned through the terrain carefully, leaving Naruto to stare at the moon the whole time.  
  
When he was finally done with his examination, Sasuke leaned backwards to rest his back on the cliff face. Naruto also broke off from staring at the moon to return to bugging the Uchiha. "Sasuke, Sasuke!" He tugged the boy's sleeve excitedly. "That's the same moon! That's the same moon I saw in Sakura's memories! I have no doubt! It even gives off the same kind of Chakra!"  
  
Sasuke nodded. "That moon - it's a Genjutsu. Those clouds are the normal monsoon clouds that blow over from the Country of Sand during this season. Although it's lasted a bit longer than it should, it's provided a perfect cover for the Mizu-Youma to activate this elaborate Genjutsu."  
  
"Why does the water demon need to use such a grand illusion for?" Naruto frowned. "It makes no sense to project such a great Genjutsu if he's not going to use it."  
  
"For ease of use and reach, I'm assuming," Sasuke stood up and dusted his pants. He closed his eyes. "He's getting everybody used to it so that when the real thing happens, nobody's worried anymore." Slowly opening his eyes, the Sharingan dots began to spiral around. "Which is not good, because this means we're dealing with a demon whose powers are way above what we initially thought it to be." Turning his head slowly, he glanced at the village once again - this time through the eyes of the Mangekyou. "I see him. Naruto, grab a pen and paper and write the coordinates down," he instructed. As Naruto hurriedly withdrew said items from his backpack, Sasuke slowly iterated the location of the demon. Immediately after he finished, he closed his eyes and all but fell to the ground in a heap.  
  
"Sasuke!!" Naruto panicked, not believing his eyes. Who would have known that the Uchiha could get tired? He all but jumped to the boy's side. "Sasuke, what's wrong?! Hey, wake up!!"  
  
"I'm awake, I'm awake," Sasuke's muffled voice could be heard, as he lay face-down against the ground for a couple of seconds more. In a sudden movement, he placed his palms by his side and pushed upwards into a half kneel, rubbing his throbbing head. "Have you gotten the coordinates down?"  
  
"Right here," Naruto brandished the notebook hesitantly. "Are you sure you're all right?" He asked suspiciously. Sasuke opened his eyes and glared at him.  
  
"I don't need an idiot like you to worry about me, dumbass," he muttered, slowly rising to full height. Slightly overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, Naruto followed suit without loud protests. "We... We better go report this to Kakashi..."  
  
Sasuke's first few steps were wobbly, but successful. His next few, however, saw that he almost crashed headlong against the cliff face. Putting a hand against the cliff, he attempted to concentrate on the path before him. It was a sheer drop down the monument if he missed a step, and the path down was not exactly the widest road in the village either. As he pondered his options, he felt a hand grab his right wrist and haul it over a shoulder. Slightly taken aback, he turned around to find himself face to face with a widely grinning Naruto.  
  
"It's not teamwork if you're always trying to do things alone!" The blond immediately gushed, then hauled Sasuke alongside despite initial bodily struggles. The Uchiha soon calmed down from the embarrassment of having to get help from anybody. While he was still trapped as to whether he would push the blond away or simply relax and allow him to help, Naruto spoke up again. "That was actually pretty cool, you know."  
  
Sasuke knew that the look on his face then conveyed the unspoken message of, 'What do you mean'.  
  
"It's like, you know," Naruto pouted slightly and adjusted Sasuke's weight as they negotiated a dangerous curve along the mountain trail. "I would've never figured out the moon was a Genjutsu and all that stuff. How could you tell where the demon is anyway? Kakashi-sensei must've tried the same thing before, hasn't he?"  
  
"If you're within the Genjutsu, plus all the clouds, you probably couldn't detect his Chakra," Sasuke explained slowly. "But on the monument, since we're free of clouds and can clearly see the Genjutsu, it's not that hard to scan for the source of the skill." He paused, then smiled slightly. "Remind me to give Shikamaru a treat when we get back to the station."  
  
"Hell yeah!" Naruto brightened up more than it should be legally allowed. "We can always count on Shikamaru, yeah! He's the most reliable guy in the world!"  
  
Although Sasuke did have a favourable impression of Shikamaru, he wondered how he could reconcile the usually lazy boy and the word reliable.  
  
"But hey!" Naruto's loud voice invaded his ears once again. "Aren't we going to go after the demon now? Why are we heading back to the station? It wasn't easy for us to locate the thing!"  
  
By this time, they had reached the foot of the monument. Sasuke immediately struggled out of Naruto's help and leaned against a nearby rock-mass. "You idiot," he shook his head at Naruto, who frowned and glared back. "Think before you act, really! I suppose the seemingly logical thing to do is to go after the demon right away, now that we have its location, but think about it some more, dimwit." He challenged Naruto's glare by staring back, hard. "The two of us, against a Mizu-Youma we know next to nothing about. This Youma is able to utilise a Genjutsu that can engulf an entire village, and yet keep it so much under control that no one has thought anything of it yet.  
  
"All previous conclusions aside, I'd say this is a rather dangerous, high level Youma we're up against. We need to get back and give Kakashi some time to get a reevaluation on the rank of the mission, then we will know if Kakashi needs to be involved in some way or the other. We can't just go and attack the demon like this, Naruto," Sasuke sighed, "if he retaliates and pulls a major part of Konoha into a Genjutsu, then what will we do? Are you going to be responsible for what happens after that?"  
  
Mouth agape and eyes blinking, Naruto kept silent for a few seconds. After a while, he snorted and turned away, nose up in the air. "You're always so concerned and careful, Sasuke!" The blond declared. "You always make sure that you're absolutely safe - that you know everything and anything about an opponent before going in for the kill! And don't try to deny it!" He turned to look at the stunned Sasuke with a finger point.  
  
"The reports of your old mission may not say much, but /this/ much they do say! Well you know what?" He frowned openly at his partner. "I think it's all bullshit. Sometimes you're not going to be able to tell how good or bad your opponent is. Then what happens? You stand there and eyeball each other? There's no win-win in a fight, Sasuke!" Naruto grounded on, with words of wisdom that belied his age and experience. Then the hard glare softened, and Naruto looked away. "You only win when the person or thing you were fighting to protect remains safe... your safety shouldn't matter more than that, Sasuke..."  
  
There was silence.  
  
"Hn," Sasuke closed his eyes. "Five hundred ryou says that that was a direct rip-off of one of Iruka-sensei's morning lectures." He opened his eyes just in time to catch Naruto's shoulders jump. The blond's expression slowly turned sheepish.  
  
"Ahaha!" Naruto's loud laughter once again embraced the area. "Like ugh... Iruka-sensei repeated it so many times that I can give the speech as well already?" He tried to excuse himself.  
  
"Whatever, idiot," Sasuke pushed off the rock-mass and stood, feeling a good part of his strength returning to him. "Look, I'm in no condition to travel to the forest by tonight, and in no condition to fight a high-level demon. So curse me if you want, but I don't need to end up having to pull the both of us down if we go into action tonight. We're trying to keep the casualty count down, not bump it up by adding ourselves to the list. I understand what you mean, but if this is a risk we don't need to take, then we won't take it. I-"  
  
Sasuke suddenly stopped, his eyes widening in surprise at what he had been about to say. When Naruto glanced questioningly at him, he swore internally and said very softly, "... I don't want you to die." He saw Naruto's eyes widen, so he quickly added, "Because of random stupidity."  
  
Naruto's straight-lined lip slowly curved upwards into a smile. He put both hands behind his head and grinned. "Hahah! Don't be stupid! I'm gonna live much much longer than you and you know it!"  
  
The Uchiha shot his companion a look of disbelief, then sighed and started down the path. "Yeah, yeah," he patronised the blond, "let's go already."  
  
Naruto grinned and followed his partner down the streets with large, bounding steps.  
  
Though they strolled in silence and semi-darkness, they both remembered that night to be one of the brighter nights of their lives.  
  
  
  
  
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1/10/2004  
Part 11 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	12. Chapter Eleven

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Chapter Eleven  
  
  
  
Naruto stood before Iruka's house, where he was staying at temporarily for the duration of the mission. Yawning and stretching, he fumbled around in his pockets for the keys.  
  
Just about an hour ago, Naruto and Sasuke had been searching the police headquarters high and low for traces of their guardians. Nobody had seen them since afternoon, it apparently seemed. Sasuke had sighed and grumbled about Kakashi infecting his irresponsibility to everybody he came in contact with, while Naruto valiantly attempted to defend Iruka's integrity. That all said and done, they parted ways at the crossroads a few minutes prior, with a promise to meet each other at the usual time and place the next day.  
  
Now, however, Naruto was pissed, the good of the day just passed escaping him entirely. Where were the keys when you needed them most? He dug deep into his pockets with great disappointment. It looked like he was going to need to stay out all night until whatever time Iruka decided to return home. Or break a window or two - though he wondered if Iruka's wrath would be worth the deed.  
  
Much to his surprise, however, there was a noise from within the house. The knob clicked, then turned, and the door was eased open. Iruka's head poked out from within, his mouth hanging on to a half eaten piece of bread. "Nanugo!" He exclaimed - or, tried to. "'Bout dime ngo godd wag!"  
  
Naruto wrinkled his nose playfully. "Sorry, sensei, I don't speak Muffle!" Brushing by Iruka, who took the piece of bread out of his mouth, he entered the dimly lit room. The only source of light was coming from the kitchen, so naturally Naruto gravitated there. He was followed closely by Iruka.  
  
"Where have you been?" Iruka was asking. "Do you know how worried we were when you didn't show up by curfew time?"  
  
The boy stopped just slightly at the threshold of the kitchen and gasped. "Oh crap!" He cried out. "I... I totally forgot I have a curfew! Oh no oh no!" He quickly turned to stare at Iruka worriedly. "What do I do? What do I do?? I swear I wasn't off roving about in places I shouldn't! I was with Sasuke all the time until just a few minutes ago! You can ask him if you don't believe me, sensei! Don't remove me from the mission now just when things are starting to heat up! Please??"  
  
Iruka was slightly stunned at Naruto's reaction about the curfew. In his previous assignments, he had never had qualms about breaking curfew time and never bothered to submit any excuse for reporting home late. When questioned he would simply shrug and try to avoid the issue.  
  
It had been painful to watch for Iruka, for on the one hand, he knew Naruto was suffering in the mission due to lack of trust from among those teammates he had been assigned to. Yet on the other hand, he also knew that Naruto would never turn a mission down because each little task, the blond had said, was one step closer to his Hokage dream.  
  
Never, therefore, had he seen Naruto so nervous about breaking the curfew that he would sprout excuses without being asked. He knew he should be amazed, but somehow he was not. Reaching out, he gave Naruto a reassuring pat on the head.  
  
"Don't worry, Naruto," he calmly said, "nobody's blaming you. We've already handed in the documents about extending your curfew for today, too," he almost laughed when he saw the awe in Naruto's eye. "Naruto, I've been your guardian for years. Give me some credit for anticipating your actions, huh?" He ruffled the blond hair roughly.  
  
After a short silence, the blond blurted, "You mean, I'm not being removed from the mission?"  
  
Iruka laughed again. Breaking curfews had been one of the main reason why none of Naruto's previous assignments ever worked out. "No, Naruto, not unless Kakashi-sensei has something else to say about it, which I don't think he does," the Chuunin glanced into the kitchen, "do you, Kakashi-san?"  
  
Naruto looked into the kitchen as well and for the first time since he stepped into the house, noticed Kakashi's presence. He nearly jumped. "Kakashi-sensei!" He screeched, and the silver-haired man looked up from the pile of books he had been browsing through. "Wha... What are you doing here?" Naruto asked the next most logical thing he could think of. At Iruka's lead, they both walked casually into the kitchen. They took seats around the table that had been piled ceiling-high with books.  
  
Kakashi had not looked up from the books since the first time he did to acknowledge Naruto's presence. "We were in the library," he drawled lazily, "but the library doesn't operate till such a late hour, so naturally, we borrowed whatever we could and brought them to the nearest convenient location. Hmm..." He turned a page over and let his visible eye look through it. "Want to join us? This is all about you, anyway."  
  
Naruto perked up at the mention, and Iruka tried to step on Kakashi's foot from under the table. The Jounin did not so much as flinch, easily lifting his feet away from Iruka's reach. "About me?" Naruto asked, curious, and unaware of the battle of the feet going on beneath the table. "Why's that?"  
  
Iruka tried to say something, but Kakashi got ahead of him. "The Mizu-Youma is trying to harness the power of the Kyuubi." He stated simply. Iruka put a hand to his forehead with a low grumble, and Naruto's eyes became wide with fascination.  
  
"Really?" He asked.  
  
"That's what we're trying to find out, Naruto," Iruka sighed, deciding that there was no point in trying to hide something that was already out in the open.  
  
"No, not really," Kakashi's distracted voice came in again. He turned the book he was reading around so that both Naruto and Iruka could see it. Leaning forward, he continued, "Youma /can/ absorb humans, Iruka-sensei," he eyed the Chuunin meaningfully, "whatever theory you've come up with just now has to cleave to the eyewitness account this book records, I'm afraid!"  
  
"I don't see why you should be so happy about it," Iruka was respectful, though slightly irritated. He looked at the book and began to read slowly.  
  
Naruto, in the meantime, had gotten bored after looking at the two illustrations of what a Mizu-Youma looked like, on the same page Iruka was reading. He leaned back and looked at Kakashi, "Kakashi-sensei! What do you mean, the Mizu-Youma's after that stupid fox? Does he want to catch him and put him in a cage or something?"  
  
"Something like that, Naruto," Kakashi was very amused by the blond's way of putting it. "He wants to draw the Chakra of the fox out and use it for himself. In essence, it means that the Mizu-Youma was aiming for you right from the beginning. You better be more careful about your surroundings from now on, Naruto."  
  
Dumbstruck, Naruto could only nod.  
  
"All right," Iruka had evidently reached the end of the page. He put two fingers between his eyes and massaged gently. "I admit. It looks like there have been precedence in one Youma absorbing humans before in this world, but /how/ is the Mizu-Youma going to do that on Naruto? There's been no precedence of Youma absorbing Younin-"  
  
"Iruka-sensei," Kakashi's voice was rather serious, "if even you believe that to be true, then there's no more hope for Naruto to be recognised in this village anymore."  
  
For what seemed like an eternity, Naruto kept looking at Iruka, then Kakashi. He had barely been listening to them, choosing to flip through a nearby book for pictures, when Kakashi's serious tone of voice had forced him to pay attention. "What are you talking about, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto eventually asked, breaking the silence "I don't understand you."  
  
"Naruto," it was Iruka this time, and he had an apologetic smile on his face. "I think you need to know something."  
  
"Ugh huh?" The blond tilted his head questioningly.  
  
"Hokage-sama actually gave me permission to tell you when you turned twelve, but there was no proper opportunity..." Iruka continued to mumble to himself. From the sidelines, Kakashi cast a watchful, almost interested eye on the both of them. "Naruto," Iruka stated again, this time very seriously. The blond looked at him, trying to gulp down the lump of discomfort in his mouth. Iruka continued, "Listen well - I will only say it once!"  
  
Naruto nodded. "Yes?"  
  
Iruka smiled. "You are not actually Youma-Ningen, Naruto. The Kyuubi was not combined with you. It was just sealed inside you, so... you're every bit a human as all the rest of us are!"  
  
That took a literal minute to sink in.  
  
"So?" Naruto said, after that long, nervous pause. He blinked in confusion. "What's that got to do with anything?"  
  
This time, even Kakashi made no attempt to hide his surprise.  
  
"So? SO??" Iruka, however, almost leapt across the table to shake Naruto by his shoulders. "Don't you get it?! All sixteen years of your life, you had to suffer discrimination, injustice and unfair treatment, were chained to the laboratory, only seeing light and day for what few, miserable times once a year when someone needed you for a mission or two, BECAUSE they purposely, wrongly applied the title of Younin on you!!! Those years weren't supposed to happen! You're a HUMAN, not some wacko Orochimaru Demon-Human hybrid experiment! You're stable! And you're supposed to be treated just like all the rest of us! All of that and all you can say after sixteen years is 'so?'?! Are you thoroughly, completely out of your mind?!"  
  
"Woah, woah, hold on a minute, Iruka-sensei," Naruto was nearly bent all backwards in stiff surprise. He had never seen Iruka so seriously worked up over his Younin status before. "I mean, no matter what it is, I do have a demon inside of me. How does that make me different from all the Demon-Human hybrids experiments you're talking about?"  
  
Iruka blinked in surprise. "You knew you weren't a hybrid?"  
  
"Eeh..." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "... the stupid old fox tells me a lot of things when I'm drugged and unable to move in the lab, so whatever you were about to tell me, I probably knew it already. Heheh. Anyway!" The boy stood excitedly. "Forget about that whole Youma me Youma you thingie! I gotta tell you something Sasuke and I found just now!" He gestured wildly. "We were at the monument, and Sasuke was using some special eye-Jutsu to scan the terrain and guess what we found!"  
  
The pause dragged.  
  
"What?" Kakashi decided to entertain the boy.  
  
"The precise location," Naruto flashed the adults an evil grin, "of the Mizu-Youma."  
  
There was an air of unspoken awe.  
  
Then Iruka frowned and shook his head. "Naruto, is this another prank of yours? It's not nice to be making fun of your caretakers like that."  
  
The blond took on an offended front. "But it's true!" He whined. "I'm not lying, Iruka-sensei! It was Sasuke told me to write the coordinates down! And trust me, if /he/ tries to pull a prank, we can all be sure the sky will fall tomorrow." Naruto had started to rummage through his belongings, finally coming up with a notebook. He flipped it to the right page and showed it to his superiors. "There!"  
  
While Iruka examined the scribble on the notebook, Kakashi took to interrogating the blond. "How did he find the location out?"  
  
"Ugh, I'm not sure," Naruto scratched his hair and thought about it carefully. "He said that the clouds blocked the village's view so most of us didn't know, but the air of the village is actually under some sort of a minor Genjutsu by that demon."  
  
"What!" Iruka almost broke his neck when he snapped upwards to look at Naruto. Kakashi held a palm out to stop him from saying anything further.  
  
"Minor Genjutsu around a hidden village is not uncommon. Enemies usually use it to get people used to their Chakra so that when they strike, people are less likely to notice them. But go on. This is beginning to sound really interesting."  
  
Naruto perked up even more, nodding his head furiously. "Yeah! Yeah! Then it's like, Sasuke's eyes began to seriously BLEED! It was all bloody red! He started to scan the terrain and said something like 'I see him'. Then we took down the coordinates and left the monument. We were trying to look for you to report this, but none of you were in the station, so we decided to go home instead! He said 'see you tomorrow', though!" Naruto started to absolutely bounce on his feet. "It's the first time someone's said that to me, and I feel kindda good!" He laughed. "Like I got myself a new friend! How's that!"  
  
Kakashi chuckled along. "Sasuke saying that does indeed sound impressive." He agreed. "It looks like the coordinates can be trusted, though. Now I'll just have to wait a bit and Sasuke'll probably email me the same story you just said..." He clicked a few times at the laptop that was on the table top, hidden previously by the tall piles of books. "... there we go," he laughed. "Email by Sasuke. Report about this evening's activities. Right on time. Hmm... lemme see..." He took a few seconds of silence to scan through the report. "... perfect. Fits your testimony right to a T, Naruto. Aren't you glad?"  
  
Naruto snickered openly. He flashed a wide, toothy grin at two adults.  
  
"I need to think about what to do about this demon for tonight," Kakashi's tone was back to being serious, as he switched the laptop off and closed all the books in front of him. "Besides finding out about Youma-Ningen absorption, we've also found out that Mizu-Youma are among the higher ranking demons in the hierarchy. This means it is highly possible that we're up against an S-rank demon. And this definitely calls for a reevaluation." He stood up and stretched with a yawn. "Go to sleep, everybody! We'll meet at the usual meeting room tomorrow, same time!" His smile was almost visible through the mask.  
  
"It's time for us to strike-back."  
  
  
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Later that night, Iruka would remember wandering into the kitchen for a midnight snack, finding Kakashi still seated at the table, face set in deep concentration.  
  
"Aren't you going back yet?" Iruka would ask.  
  
"It's raining," Kakashi would answer.  
  
And there would be brooding silence.  
  
"It was raining that night too."  
  
  
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Naruto could not believe, as he dashed through the pouring rain, that Iruka had not bothered to wake him up. That morning, when he finally came to, it was already nearly afternoon, and he gave a literal yelp of surprise before scrambling out of bed. Outside, the biggest rainstorm of the century was beating against the window pane, and he had stuck a tongue out at the offensive weather. Too flustered to grab an umbrella, he had exited the house in just his usual garb and raced to the police station. The only time ever in his life he had an appointment with someone, and he was so late! This was going to look so bad on his record, he pouted to himself.  
  
He arrived at the station, dripping wet. Ignoring the glares of the other people hanging around, he ran straight to the usual meeting room and burst in. "Yo! Uzumaki Naruto makes his grand entrance!" He announced cheerily. In the distance, there was the sound of something hitting the ground.  
  
"Oh sheesh," Shikamaru picked himself up and sighed. "You really haven't changed a single bit, Naruto."  
  
Naruto stared. "Shikamaru!" He pointed. "What are you doing here?" He glanced around the empty room with slight disappointment. "Where's Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei? Or that bastard Sasuke for that matter?"  
  
Shikamaru did not reply immediately. He walked towards Naruto, all the while grumbling under his breath. "I really didn't want to be the one to have to do this, but hell, who am I to defy a Jounin." Brushing by Naruto, Shikamaru stood by the doorway. "Follow me, Naruto."  
  
Intrigued by the sudden development, Naruto did as told. The duo walked slowly, and in silence, until they stepped out of the building and into the pouring rain once again. Slightly bothered by Shikamaru's enthusiasm, however laidback, Naruto looked at Shikamaru's back with fear and suspicion. He was about to ask the billion ryou question, when Shikamaru turned around very carefully to regard him.  
  
"Don't be surprised at what you're going to see."  
  
After saying that, Shikamaru took off steathily in the direction of the forest, leaving a baffled Naruto no choice but to follow him. They vanished quickly, simultaneously, leaving not a trace. Back in the building, the rest of the police continued their normal affairs.  
  
Outside, the rain poured down harder.  
  
  
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_"Looks like we won't get to deliver the report personally," Sasuke's face was almost set in a pout. He was walking along the corridors of the Taiyoubu storey with Naruto, after having checked every possible room (and every impossible room) they could for traces of their guardians. They were simply nowhere to be found.  
  
Beside him, Naruto grinned anyway. "S'okay! S'not like any of us is gonna die tonight or something. We can always tell 'em tomorrow!"  
  
Sasuke stiffened slightly. "Stop talking about dying, stupid!" He almost snarled.  
  
"But it's true!" Naruto whined back. "Nobody's gonna die, okay?! And /you're/ always talking about it anyway! Death, blah, curse, blah, angst, blah and stuff like that." He made a face by wrinkling his nose. "You have no right to ask me to shut up about it! No wonder people stay away from you! Even without the curse, you're a boring and negative guy to hang out with!"  
  
"I'm not boring and nega-!!" Sasuke roared, then cut himself short. "I... I don't always talk about death!"  
  
"You DO!" Naruto leered, sticking a tongue out. "You do and you know it! Don't be such a wussy, asshole. There's nothing to be afraid of!"  
  
Sasuke's eyes immediately narrowed. "I am NOT afraid of death."  
  
"You ARE TOO," Naruto poked him at the shoulder. "Otherwise you wouldn't always be talking about death with a look in your face like you're its next target or something."  
  
A fire began to spark from within Sasuke. He stopped walking, prompting Naruto to stop as well. They had exited the building some time ago and had been trudging along the empty night streets of Konoha. Sasuke had stopped at just nicely a crossroads - where all paths branched out into thick darkness. The clouds masked the moonlight, so all the duo had to see each other with were the occasional street lamps. Slowly, Sasuke turned around.  
  
"You've never lost someone close to death before," he stated, while staring hard at Naruto.  
  
Naruto opened his mouth to rebutt, but realised that it was true. "So?" He frowned. He couldn't see why it mattered. "I've seen death in the face enough times to know he's not scary."  
  
"So you don't understand," Sasuke's eyes were downcast, instead of fiercely angry, "that those who live... suffer more than those who die..."  
  
In the silence that followed, Naruto's thoughts began to fly. He knew that he understood the meaning of those words perfectly well.  
  
But he also knew could not understand the emotions behind it.  
  
Though he was had always been alone, like Sasuke - he had never quite truly lost something - having had nothing to begin with.  
  
That was what set their solitude apart.  
  
"Come on," Sasuke's quiet voice pulled him back from his inner thoughts. He watched, rooted to the spot as Sasuke walked further and further down the path that would take him home. "It's getting late. You better go home." His footsteps slowly came to a hesitant stop. "... I'll see you first thing tomorrow."  
  
Naruto gaped at Sasuke until he was swallowed whole by the darkness. His grin slowly came back with full force though, as he shouted his reply, "Yeah!! Last one there owes me ramen!"  
  
He thought he could hear a snort. But it could have just been the wind._  
  
Naruto did not know why that particular scene kept flashing by his mind.  
  
  
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"Shikamaru, are we heading for the northern forests?" Naruto asked.  
Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, that troublesome place," he sighed, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. He did not elaborate any further.  
  
Naruto was very confused.  
  
"Why the hell are we going there for? Where's Sasuke? Iruka-sensei? And Kakashi-sensei?"  
  
"They're there," Shikamaru wisely kept his answer short. He made a sharp turn to his right. "This way."  
  
Bursting through the large, opened gates of the northern part of the village, Shikamaru landed in a kneel before the threshold of the forest, followed closely by Naruto.  
  
Even though it was morning, the storm clouds had obscured every single ray of sunlight. As they walked towards the initial layer of tall, thick foliage, it felt like dusk had just embraced the land, not dawn. Shadows flickered in the rain. A flashlight was being shone about frantically. Shikamaru led Naruto right into what the blond would call the aftermath of a scene of slaughter. One he had seen many times in his entire life. Enough to have numbed him. Enough to have made him callous to the unfortunate victim of the heinous crime.  
  
Only this time, everything was very, very wrong.  
  
That was Uchiha Sasuke lying motionless on the ground.  
  
That was Uchiha Sasuke's blood mixing with the rain.  
  
That was Uchiha Sasuke being surrounded by a mass of panicking medic Ninjas, yelling at each other to pass this syringe and administer that drug.  
  
That was Uchiha Sasuke - who owed him ramen for not showing up when he should have.  
  
Uchiha Sasuke, who was supposed to be hitting him and yelling at him and calling him names while sporting an inferal smirk. Definitely not supposed to be on the ground. Battered. Broken. Bleeding.  
  
"All right, one, two... HEAVE!" A stranger's voice commanded, and suddenly, the limp figure of Sasuke was hoisted upon a stretcher and carted away by the medics. For a long, painful moment, they brushed by the frozen Naruto. Naruto tried to turn, when they passed him, but his senses were in so much shock they refused to obey. And it was a good thing that he had not turned, for he would have missed the single sheet of plain, white paper that fell from Sasuke when the medics jostled to get him to the hospital.  
  
He picked the paper up out of pure reflex. He stared at it for a whole minute, never noticing that Shikamaru hovered around behind him with a frown in his features - or that Iruka and Kakashi had walked up to him from where they were talking with a few medics, the former looking very concerned, the latter looking very disturbed. All his attention was upon the piece of paper - wet and torn, but still legible.  
  
/Come alone to this location tonight./  
  
The strange handwriting on the note had read.  
  
/Or your partner dies./  
  
The last thing he heard, before he fell into induced darkness, was Iruka's voice, calling out his name.  
  
  
  
  
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4/10/2004  
Part 12 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	13. Chapter Twelve

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Chapter Twelve  
  
  
  
Everything was in a mess.  
  
Decided Iruka, as he sat nervously in the police headquarters conference room, waiting for the council-appointed representative to arrive. The news of Sasuke's injury had travelled fast enough, such that the council saw fit to call an emergency meeting with the key people of the Taiyoubu.  
  
The call for the meeting could not have happened at a worst time.  
  
Kakashi was in the hospital - he had wanted to ask the doctors more about Sasuke's situation, as well as be there if he woke up to be able to ask him some questions. Therefore the only available members of the department were the ones that were not really from the department. Iruka sighed, and glanced at the clock on the wall. Anytime now, the representative would come walking in.  
  
Although Naruto was with him, Iruka was not sure if the spaced out blond could be of any help. Naruto had not uttered a single word since he saw the injured Sasuke being carried off on a stretcher. Iruka was worried. He also was worried about what he would say to the representative, who was obviously not going to be here to praise their work. He hoped he had enough punch left in him to fight back whatever the council was going to throw at them.  
  
No sooner than he had hoped that, did the door to the conference room fly open.  
  
The representative, a prim-and-proper looking Ninja who looked vaguely important, stepped in. He slammed a thick file on the table, opened it, sat down and glared at Iruka. He did not even acknowledge Naruto. "Umino Iruka Chuunin," he began, emphasising Iruka's rank in a sickeningly sweet, polite voice, "why are you the one meeting me? Where is Hatake Kakashi Jounin?"  
  
Iruka felt a blood vessel on his head throb. He smiled and replied just as politely, "He is at the hospital, sir, looking after his charge."  
  
"How could anything be more important than this meeting with me?" The man snorted, and tossed his head angrily.  
  
Iruka's smile became forced, and he had to repeat endlessly to himself inside that this meeting would not last any longer than 15 minutes. He endured.  
  
"And since you have no power to bargain or decide," the haughty voice continued, "then I shall make this quick." He flipped through the file before him. "The council has officially decided, in lieu of the gross mis-management of important missions on the part of the Taikou Youma Butai, the Anti-Youma Brigade; as seen by the latest spat of unsolved attacks on young ladies and subsequently Uchiha Sasuke, that the Brigade be disbanded and its members be absorbed into the other departments of the police force, with immediate effect." Without waiting for a response, he closed the file and stood up. "That will be all."  
  
Shocked at the suddenness, Iruka gaped for a second. By that time, the man had reached the doors and was about to push it open. "WAIT!" He quickly shouted, standing up and hastily making his way over. "You can't be serious! The Taiyoubu has not done anything to deserve such a fate!"  
  
The man spun around sharply and glared at Iruka. "The Taiyoubu is a breeding ground for demons, Iruka-sensei. It is only because of the Brigade that we have not stopped receiving attacks from the Youma. Once the department is dissolved, there will be peace in the village again. And the next step," he sneered, "will be removing the trash you call Youma-Ningen."  
  
There was no time to be astounded by the representative's strong use of words. Iruka immediately set his eyes with determination. "You will not speak of the department Kakashi-san and Sasuke has tried so hard to maintain with such contempt, sir. The department has served the village with great merit these past few years, perhaps more than you ever will be able to." There was a glint in his eye. "I will see Hokage-sama about this matter personally."  
  
"Hokage-sama will not see you over such a trivial matter!" The man snarled back. But his voice was unsure. "If there is nothing else, I take my leave!"  
  
Iruka did not react, except to take one step back and nod stiffly. He watched, eyes brimming with emotion, as the man exited the room in a huff and slammed the door shut with the loudest sound he could muster as a farewell warning.  
  
As soon as Iruka was sure he could no longer feel the disgusting man within the immediate vicinity, he let out a loud sigh, slumping into the nearest available seat. The declaration about speaking with the Hokage was true for his part, but he did not know if Sandaime would be sympathetic to the cause. Being the leader of the village, he had to put the interests of the villagers in top priority, after all.  
  
While he was yet revising his explanation to the Hokage, Naruto shuffled slightly in his seat. It was the first sign of life the boy had shown since entering the room, so Iruka immediately caught on to it. He turned around to look at Naruto in the eye, noticing with great relief that the spaced out, blank look in Naruto's eyes were no more - now replaced by his usual vibrant, blue orbs again.  
  
"Iruka-sensei..." The blond was saying, with a frown. He swayed about slightly in his seat, "...I feel strange." He folded his hands across the table and let his head collapse unceremoniously into the crook between his elbows. "My head hurts."  
  
Iruka felt a twinge of pity wash over him. Naruto had never lost anybody close to him before to realise what he was feeling. As his guardian, he had hoped to never let Naruto experience such feelings before. "It's all right, Naruto," he said as soothingly as he could, "don't be sad. Sasuke's strong, and he won't let this little hiccup come in between him and his mission."  
  
Naruto turned his head so that it now laid rested on one side and that he was facing Iruka. "I'm not sad." He declared monotonously, the glazed, dead look slowly overtaking his features again. "I feel strange, sensei," he repeated.  
  
Not knowing how else to comfort the boy, Iruka stood. He gestured at Naruto with a warm smile. "Tell you what. Why don't we go to the hospital and see what's going on there? I'm sure the doctors will have good news for us!"  
  
Naruto stayed in his position, unmoving. He looked like he was asleep - only with eyes opened. As Iruka moved to approach him, he suddenly sat up straight. "Okay," he deadpanned, standing up robotically and striding over to where Iruka was. "Hospital would be good. Sasuke is there," he further compounded.  
  
And not once all this while did he look at Iruka in the eye.  
  
Iruka said nothing, but smiled sadly. He stepped out of the room, followed closely by Naruto.  
  
  
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"Kakashi-san," Iruka greeted the man seated on a row of seats along the corridors of the hospital observation wing. The Jounin looked up from his bright, orange book.  
  
"Ah, Iruka-sensei," the single visible eye of Kakashi became an upturned U. He closed the book and stood up, stretching. "How nice it is to see another human being walk by me for once."  
  
"Huh?" Was Iruka's intelligent response. He glanced slightly around, then continued, "But there are so many nurses and doctors walking about here..."  
  
Kakashi frowned at the surroundings. "Exactly," he said in a low mumble.  
  
Iruka stared questioningly at him.  
  
"They almost refused to treat Sasuke," Kakashi explained, a slight anger hiding behind his otherwise dull sounding tone. "Said he'd bring all the people in the hospital down to death with him if they did."  
  
Upon hearing that, Iruka thought his jaw would drop to the floor. "WHAT?!" He shrieked, not caring that a few nurses around paused to glare at him dangerously. He glared back, then returned his attention to Kakashi. "What the hell are these people on? Who do they think they are?! Where's Sasuke now?" The last question was ask with much more desperation than fury.  
  
Kakashi jerked a thumb in the direction of the door behind them. "Inside," he replied simply. "They treated him." He almost snickered at Iruka's aghast reaction. "Don't worry. I made doubly sure they did nothing to harm him more than he already should. I was there throughout the whole operation, and I've been standing guard here for a while now."  
  
Iruka relaxed slightly. His eyebrows quirked. "Is /that/ why you insisted on following them?"  
  
"Mainly, yes," Kakashi answered immediately, scratching his head. "Of course I also assumed Sasuke would have woken up by now so I can ask him a few questions, but it looks like that won't be happening anytime soon."  
  
"Why?" Iruka was instantly concerned.  
  
Kakashi shrugged, placing his hand on the doorknob of the room door. "I'll tell you more when we get inside."  
  
Gulping, Iruka nodded. Kakashi slowly pushed the door open, the slightly worn-out hinge creaking as he did. The trio filled into the room quietly, and Kakashi then closed the door for them. Iruka felt his breath hitch, when he saw the lifeless figure of Sasuke sprawled across the plain, white sheets; an unacceptable amount of tubes and bandages covering almost every part of his visible skin. The shock dissolved into unbridled sadness. This was not how he had envisioned the promising boy would come to an end to his career.  
  
"There was a strange wound near his heart," Kakashi began, slinking down onto the sofa in the room, "that caused most of the bleeding. Other than that, there wasn't any outward injury. His left knee is broken, and he swallowed too much water." Kakashi frowned. "The doctors cannot tell if it's from the rain, the river, or any other source. And they were unwilling to divulge anything else about his condition. My Sharingan was only able to tell that there is a massive amount of abnormal Chakra concentrated around Sasuke's head. I can read nothing else from the signature..."  
  
The Jounin paused slightly, as he observed Naruto finally moving from where he had been standing rooted on the spot all this while. The blond gravitated slowly and calmly towards the bed where Sasuke was lying on, very much unlike his usually rowdy self. Kakashi brushed by Iruka to stand behind the boy. Naruto stared, still with a glazed look in his eye, at the unconscious figure of Sasuke.  
  
Kakashi was concerned, because he had not felt Naruto at all, and was only vaguely aware that he was there because of his bright, blond hair. There was something strange about the boy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it yet.  
  
As if on cue, Naruto stretched out a hand towards Sasuke's face. It moved at a crawling speed, like this was something Naruto wanted, yet did not want to do. Kakashi frowned, having felt a flare of unusual Chakra when Naruto moved. He did not know if Naruto was going to help or harm his protege, but he was not going to let either happen. "Naruto," he said sternly. "What's that piece of paper in your hand?"  
  
Naruto jumped visibly when his name was called. His hand stopped immediately, and he glanced downwards to look at the piece of paper in the hand that was by his side. From where he stood, Iruka saw colour returning to Naruto's eyes again. He frowned slightly. The only other times he had seen a dull glow in his eyes was when Naruto was heavily sedated and completely out of himself. He wondered briefly what to make of it, but stopped thinking, when Naruto spoke.  
  
"I... ugh..." the blond blinked in slight surprise. "Oh!" He turned around to smile sheepishly at Kakashi. "It's some paper that slipped out from Sasuke when those men were carrying him away..."  
  
There was a sudden outpouring of Naruto's usual aura when he said that, so Kakashi felt the tension in his shoulders ease slightly. "Let me see," Kakashi commanded. Naruto's lip turned downwards slightly and he moved a step back. "What's wrong?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Is there something inside you don't want me to know about? Is that his love letter for you, hm?"  
  
Immediately, Naruto's eyes widened. "Eww no!!" The usual brashness was back, making both Iruka and Kakashi sigh inwardly with relief. A quiet Naruto was never a good sign after all. Naruto simmered down, however, when he stared at the piece of paper again. His eyes flickered almost visibly between dull and bright blue. "It's a strange note..." he whispered. "... very very strange note..."  
  
Kakashi grabbed the paper away from Naruto's loosening hands. "Let's see just how strange it is, then," he turned away from the frozen Naruto and walked towards Iruka. He did not complete the whole distance, however, stopping abruptly after three steps. His eye showed stark surprise, having finished reading the note. "That..." he breathed, "...idiot!"  
  
"Kakashi-san?" Iruka was slightly confused. Kakashi afforded him an evidently unhappy glance. Wordlessly, he walked towards the Chuunin, and passed him the note. Iruka took but a second to process the words on the note, and his eyes widened with horror.  
  
Kakashi had not staye to see Iruka's reaction. He returned to Naruto, who was staring at Sasuke with eyes flickering between dull and bright blue again, and asked, "Naruto. You said the paper dropped from Sasuke, is that correct?"  
  
Naruto did not turn his head, although he nodded.  
  
"Are you absolutely sure?" Kakashi pressed on, knowing he should be paying at least some attention to the fact that Naruto was so totally out of it for the whole day, but too flustered over Sasuke's current condition to bother for now.  
  
Naruto blinked, and when his eyes reopened they were the normal blue again. He turned to face Kakashi. "I don't know, Kakashi-sensei. It was so dark and confusing. I think I'm quite sure it dropped from Sasuke, though."  
  
"Hmm..." The Jounin let his eye drift. He had yet to come up with another question when Iruka stepped forward and coughed for attention.  
  
"Excuse me, Kakashi-san," the Chuunin put on a slightly irritated face. "I have to tell you something first. The council has sent a representative to the Taiyoubu just now with some very negative news."  
  
"Ho-hum," Kakashi shrugged. "Are they trying to shut the Taiyoubu down again? I'm not surprised," he sighed. "They've been issuing warnings for the past three years, but they've not succeeded before." He tapped his fingers on his hip, in deep thought. "But..."  
  
"But this time, the threat is real," Iruka finished for him. "Once Sasuke is out of commission, the official headcount in the department is down to one. There's no reason why the council, or the Hokage would allow a department to operate with just one member. And the missions the Taiyoubu receives are usually ranked B and above. You recognise that the threat is real this time too, don't you, Kakashi-san?"  
  
The silver-haired Jounin looked at Iruka thoughtfully for a couple of seconds. He sighed. "I understand, Iruka-sensei. And just as you've mentioned, the Brigade is in shambles at the moment. This is something no amount of denying will help. If they want to close the department down, now is the best time for them to. There's very little we can do about it."  
  
Iruka's eyes flashed angrily. "The department has always been the pride of the Uchiha," he almost snarled, "and you're going to let it be given away now when their last living descendent is unable to defend it?"  
  
There was literal tension in the room, that even drew Naruto's attention to the two adults. Kakashi eyed Iruka carefully. "Iruka," he said, making his tone blank but serious, "I said there is 'very little' we can do about it. I did not say there is nothing."  
  
Caught by surprise at his misinterpretation of Kakashi's words, Iruka flushed red with embarrassment from ear to ear and quickly bowed in apology. "I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions-"  
  
"Your emotional side will be your downfall as Shinobi, Iruka-sensei," Kakashi waved the apology aside as if he didn't particularly need one. "But well," he strode over to Sasuke's bedside, ghosting a hand over the boy's forehead in a rare display of tenderness, "I guess that's what makes you, you."  
  
Unsure of how to respond, Iruka kept his peace.  
  
"I'm going to go see Hokage-sama," Kakashi whirled around and stared at Iruka seriously. Iruka was surprised at the sudden decision, but nodded sternly. "I'll have a talk with him as the head of the department. I should be able to delay for some time. I'm rather sure that Sasuke will wake up by today, so if we can buy some time, he can tell us what exactly happened. There's hope for the department yet." He slowly sautered towards the door, walking by Iruka as he did.  
  
"Make sure Naruto doesn't try anything funny," Kakashi whispered almost inaudibly to the caretaker, who was taken aback. Iruka felt a tug at his hand, before realising that Kakashi had removed the piece of paper he had been reading. "I'll take that," Kakashi muttered. He then slipped out of the room as quietly as a whisper of wind.  
  
The room was now filled with a disturbing silence.  
  
"Naruto," Iruka blurted, voice sounding raspier than he wanted it to be, "you're not going to be of any help standing there and staring."  
  
Nodding, Naruto cast one last glance at the bed and trotted to where Iruka was. Iruka found a stool and sat on it, while Naruto descended heavily onto the sofa. The soft lighting in the room, coupled with the depressing silence that was only breached when the heart monitor made a tick, soon got on Iruka's nerves. The fact that Naruto was sombre and not asking frantic questions every two minutes also made Iruka edgy. There was also Kakashi's very cryptic warning Finally, he stood, unable to bear the silence any longer. He stalked over to Naruto, put his hands on his hips, and shot, "Naruto. What's wrong with you?"  
  
The blond looked up with wide, surprised eyes. "Nothing's wrong, sensei."  
  
"Nothing's wrong, my foot!" Iruka bent over in an intimidating pose. "I know you, Naruto. There's something on your mind. If you don't say it out now, I won't be able to help you, boy," he sternly warned, and Naruto cringed into himself.  
  
"I just feel strange," the blond muttered. "It's nothing to be worried about."  
  
Iruka's expressions softened. "What do you mean?" He asked mildly.  
  
"Just strange," Naruto shrugged. "Here, here, here, there... everywhere!" He pat the area of his chest, stomach, head, then flailed his arms about. "I shouldn't have looked at that piece of paper," he sighed noisily. "It made me feel strange."  
  
A hand came down on his head and ruffled his hair slightly. Naruto glanced up to see the grinning face of Iruka. "Don't worry about it, Naruto," his caretaker almost chirped. "Sasuke's a strong kid. He won't lose to something as trivial as this!"  
  
Naruto's eyes were innocent. "I know that."  
  
Iruka felt an eyebrow twitch.  
  
"It's not about Sasuke," Naruto turned away, his eyes inadvertably finding the figure on the bed again. "But it's a little bit about him... not about him, but still about him..." He ended the sentence with a loud sneeze and several wracking coughs. Iruka stared worriedly at him.  
  
"I'll go get us both some hot drinks," the caretaker informed, heading towards the door. "Don't think too much about it, Naruto. Because no matter what you feel about this," Iruka paused just prior to closing the door completely, "it's not your fault, boy."  
  
Naruto flinched. "It's not my fault..." He repeated softly.  
  
The door closed quietly.  
  
Naruto slumped, his face falling into his cupped hands.  
  
He did not know how long he stayed in that position for, but he knew it had not been too long. The door suddenly creaked open again, attracting his attention. He lifted his head to glance at whoever was coming in, slightly surprised to see a couple of familiar faces. "Sakura-chan... Hinata!"  
  
"So...sorry to be disturbing you..." Hinata stuttered, but opened the door wider so Sakura and herself could pass through it. The two girls scooted in quickly and shut the door equally quickly. "How... How is Sasuke-kun doing?" The nurse continued, standing beside the sofa and looking at Naruto with slightly frightened eyes.  
  
Sakura had been braver. Despite the IV drip she was dragging around, she stepped right towards the bed and sat down on the stool beside it. Her gaze at Sasuke was worried and pained.  
  
"I..." Naruto began, but then realised he knew next to nothing about Sasuke's condition. "I don't know... Sorry, I wasn't paying attention when Kakashi-sensei was talking about it," he smiled sheepishly.  
  
Hinata jumped slightly, then averted her eyes. "It... It's all right, Na... Naruto-kun... I... I can find out for you by... by asking..."  
  
"No! No!" Naruto quickly stood and held both hands out, frightening Hinata into taking a step back. "I mean, no! Really, it's all right." He quickly amended himself, stating in a softer tone. "You don't have to go through so much trouble for that jerk."  
  
"I... I see..." The girl gulped and nodded. "Well... Sa... Sasuke-kun is not in... the Intensive Care U... Unit so I think... I think he should be all right..."  
  
Naruto stopped looking dazed for a moment to grin happily at Hinata. "Thanks, Hinata."  
  
"Naruto..." Sakura's rather anxious voice attracted both Naruto and Hinata's attentions. "... what exactly happened to Sasuke-kun?"  
  
The smile was wiped off Naruto's face immediately. "Hah," he said in a low grumble, "bastard was stupid enough to go fight an S-rank demon on his own, that's what happened to him."  
  
The information took a while to sink in, after which Sakura's eyes flashed. "Don't say that about him," she scolded softly, "I'm sure he must have had a reason for doing whatever he did."  
  
"Well he sure did!" Naruto blurted loudly, sending Hinata into a fluster. "The bastard thought he was trying to protect me from being killed, that's why! Hah! As if I needed his help! Nobody kills Uzumaki Naruto that easily!" He tossed a fist in the air, oblivious to Hinata's frantic pleas for him to keep his volume down.  
  
Sakura blinked at him at first, then melted into an all-knowing smile. "I see..." she sighed, touching Sasuke's hand gently. "Sasuke-kun... does have a soft side to him after all, doesn't he?"  
  
"Like hell!" Naruto quickly interrupted. "His heart's harder than ice!"  
  
"You /just/ said he got injured trying to protect you," Sakura frowned at him.  
  
"I never asked for his help!" Naruto growled back. "And now he's all knocked out, bandaged like a mummy, hooked onto all these weird liquids and this stupid machine that beats every seconds - because of me!" He stomped a foot. "All because he thought he was trying to protect me!" Naruto's eyes began to waver with frustration. "I don't need his protection! I don't need him to do anything for me! Least of all, I don't need him to DIE for me!"  
  
The girls were stunned silent at the emotional outburst.  
  
And Naruto did not merely stop there. He strode purposefully over to the bed and frowned hard at his now unconscious partner. From unabiding anger, his expression slowly became unhappy pity, then finally, grudging acceptance. "Bastard!" He said the word softly, his eyes a conflicting display of emotions. "Always scolding me! Always complaining and whining I don't understand!" A strange darkness began to probe into Naruto's mind again, now that he was at a mental low, but he ignored it. "Well you know what? When you wake up I'm gonna throw those words right back in your face!" He sniffled slightly. "'Those who live suffer more than those who die', hahah!..." The bitter laughter trailed, and Naruto blinked sadly. "...you don't have to die to prove it to me... okay? I already know what you mean... know how it feels..."  
  
The darkness in his mind began to take shape and make sounds. Naruto's eyes widened, his breath hitching. He put both hands to his head and slowly curled up, shaking his head from side to side. A strange aura suddenly rippled outwards from where he was. Sakura stood quickly and backed slightly away, eyes reflecting sudden terror.  
  
And very well so, for she knew this was the same flash of aura she had felt during that same night.  
  
That same night she was attacked.  
  
A short while later, Naruto slowly straightened, a wry grin on his face. When he opened his eyes, they were no longer their usual colour. Instead, a dull, pulsating dark blue had taken over. There was no longer any life in those orbs.  
  
"Naruto, I hope you don't mind coffee--" Iruka opened the door of the room. He had fully intended to saunter casually in when the malicious aura almost bowled him over. He gasped and dropped all the cans of drinks he had bought. "Naruto!" He could hardly hear himself in the resulting whisper of disbelief.  
  
The blond boy turned around and grinned slyly at his caretaker. "Sensei," he stated, in a rumbling voice that was not his, "I feel /really/ strange now, hahah!" After that bitter laugh, he leapt over the bed and onto the opened windows, bounding outside, vanishing from sight faster than anybody in the room could notice.  
  
"Shit!" Iruka cursed and ran over to the window. He leant out, noticed he could not see Naruto any longer, and cursed again. With one foot on the window sill, he looked back and commanded, "Hinata! Go get Kakashi-sensei! Tell him it's an emergency! And Sakura! Stay with Sasuke! Once he shows signs of waking up, force him to wake up! Then tell him to go find Kakashi! Now! Do it now!" He glared so hard, his eyeballs looked like they were about to fall out.  
  
Hinata nodded mutely and scrambled away from the room, the same time Iruka vanished in a blur from the window. Sakura gaped, looking from the door to the window, realising suddenly that she was all alone in the room with Sasuke now. Although in normal circumstnces, she would have thought this to be romantic, currently the circumstances were anything but normal. She slumped back onto the stool, pensive and thoughtful.  
  
So absorbed she was, that she did not notice Sasuke's fingers twitching, barely a few minutes later.  
  
  
  
  
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8/10/2004  
Part 13 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	14. Chapter Thirteen

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Chapter Thirteen  
  
  
  
Iruka raced through the torrential rainstorm, depending on his years of experience of picking up on Naruto's Chakra aura to try to detect the boy. This was proving to be a rather difficult task, as Naruto's aura was growing weaker and weaker each passing second. Cursing under his breath for what must have been the thousandth time that day. Iruka continued his chase.  
  
Until suddenly, he could feel Naruto's aura no more.  
  
He stopped flitting about the rooftops of the village, perching atop a high roof, gasping and panting for breath. Glancing all about around him in desperation, he realised that he no longer knew which direction to take to pursue the boy. He bit his lip in frustration and agony, then adjusted his footing and quickly bounded off again.  
  
This time, towards the office of Sandaime Hokage.  
  
  
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When Sasuke opened his eyes, Sakura almost jumped to her feet. She controlled herself, but stood up nevertheless. "Sasuke-kun!" She exclaimed, shaking his arm slightly. "Sasuke-kun! Can you hear me?" She tried again, voice laced with desperation.  
  
Sasuke tilted his head to stare at her blankly. He gave no reply.  
  
"No..." Sakura shook her head, tears threatening to spill. "... please... not you too. Sasuke-kun, you can't act like you don't know anything now! He... He's in danger... Naru..."  
  
"Oh, my!" Kakashi's lazy drawl cut Sakura short. She looked up to see him perched on the window sill, hand holding a file folder. "I hope I'm not disturbing anything!"  
  
"Who... Who are you?" Sakura questioned, and Kakashi laughed.  
  
"The name's Hatake Kakashi. I'm the superior and mentor of the brat on the bed there," he pointed at Sasuke, who, although had opened his eyes, had not said a single word or moved another muscle in the time being. "You must be Haruno Sakura. Pleased to meet you!" He bowed slightly.  
  
The name struck a sudden attention nerve in Sakura. "Kakashi... Kakashi-sensei!" She exclaimed. "Sensei, listen to me! Naru--"  
  
"Shut up... both of you... or I'll have to make you..." Sasuke feebly threatened, clambering to sit up on the bed, one hand on his head. Kakashi's attention was successfully diverted from Sakura, and he smiled at his charge.  
  
"Good evening to you too, Sasuke-kun," he smiled. "Look at how carefully your girlfriend has been taking care of you all the while you were out cold!" He teased, and Sasuke shot him a glare.  
  
Sakura blushed deeply at the remark for a while, but her senses kicked back into action quickly. "Sasuke-kun! Kakashi-sensei! Listen..." She said in a voice that was loud but still polite. It was futile, however, for Kakashi had leapt off the window and now stood by Sasuke's bed, talking with him.  
  
"That was stupid of you," Kakashi shook his head. "I thought I told you that neither of you should go out working individually."  
  
Sakura tried to interrupt, but Sasuke's snort was louder. "I wasn't working. I was answering a direct challenge someone issued to me. What's the big deal?"  
  
"The big deal, of course, is the fact that you almost drowned in some strange liquid," Kakashi frowned at the boy, who looked away with slight embarrassment. "Whatever possessed you to go face the Mizu-Youma alone?" He sighed. "I thought you were always the prudent one - always making sure of the enemy and his level of power before going in for the kill. Blinded by emotions again, aren't we, Sasuke?"  
  
"I wasn't!" The boy yelled, then regretted it immediately, shrinking and cradling his painful head. "I wasn't..." he repeated, between pained breaths.  
  
"The demon threatened to kill Naruto," Kakashi stated. "Knowing you, you would've gone there in a spat of fury, trying to protect your latest friend from the curse, wouldn't you?"  
  
"He's not my 'friend'!" Sasuke insisted, looking up sharply at Kakashi. Then, blinking, he asked suspicious, "How did you know about that anyway?"  
  
"Uh-oh," Kakashi brandished the piece of paper and waved it about flippantly. "I wonder who took this along with him when he went out to have a rendezvous with the demon, huh?"  
  
Sasuke's eyes widenened at the accusation, and he stared in mild shock at the paper Kakashi was waving about. "Kakashi, I burnt the thing up after I finished reading it," he muttered, "where in the world did you get that thing?"  
  
Kakashi stopped fiddling with the paper. He stared at Sasuke with a blink.  
  
"OKAY YOU BIG BOZOS!!" Sakura shrieked, finally not being able to take it any longer. "THAT'S WHY I SAID LISTEN! LISTEN TO ME DAMMIT! ARE MEN ALWAYS SUCH PIGS?!" She huffed and puffed, face flushed with anger. Glaring up, she made sure she had the full attention of both stunned men, then continued in a slightly less accusatory voice, "Naruto is in danger!" She judged by the looks of utter surprise on the men's faces that they had not even been listening to her constant warnings just now. "Iruka-sensei went off after him, he said it was an emergency, and to inform Kakashi-sensei immediately." She glanced evenly at the silver-haired Jounin for a reaction, disappointed that he did not have an evident one.  
  
Before Sakura could say anymore, the door to the room burst open, and Hinata stumbled in. "Ka... Kakashi-sensei..." she mumbled and stuttered, almost tripping over the stool near the door. "I... Iruka-sensei asked me to inform you that there has been an emergency regarding Naruto-kun..."  
  
"What happened to him?" It was Sasuke, not Kakashi who threw the question out. The Uchiha had eyes wide as saucers and there was no denying the rampant worry he was showing on his face. "What happened to him??! Where is he?!" He roared, raising his voice so loud that Hinata cringed.  
  
"Quiet, Sasuke," Kakashi glared at the boy, who then turned to regard him with a rare look of helplessness. The look quickly was taken over by annoyance, and Sasuke looked away. "Iruka-sensei is already on Naruto's tail, you said?" The Jounin prompted Hinata, who nodded. "Then we have nothing much to worry about," Kakashi smiled. "Iruka-sensei should be able to keep things under control for now."  
  
"Bu-bu-but sire..." Hinata spoke up, despite her hesitation. "There... there was a very strange and malicious Chakra aura present in this room before Naruto-kun suddenly leapt out of the window." She glanced at the floor shiftily. "I... I think the matter is not quite as simple as it seems..."  
  
"Naruto was speaking in a voice that was not his," Sakura provided, eyes determined. Although she thought he was noisy, she had also come to know Naruto as a helpful and kind Younin. She felt like she had to help. "He taunted Iruka-sensei before suddenly vanishing." She bit her lower lip. "Forgive me for drawing my own conclusions here, sensei, but..."  
  
Three pairs of eyes stared expectantly at her.  
  
"... Naruto has been taken over by a malicious demon. That much I can logically infer."  
  
"It's... It's true!" Hinata gulped, speaking up as loudly and as assertively as she could. "I... I saw it with the Byakugan just before I went out of the room... there was... there was a very deep, angry aura that was also very evil... bursting out from Naruto-kun... flooding the whole room. In... In fact..." Hinata looked at Sasuke timidly. "It was... similar to the aura that was hanging around Sasuke-kun's head when he was brought into the hospital..."  
  
Kakashi stared at the girl. "You are a Hyuuga," he stated. Hinata nodded.  
  
"Ye... Yes... that's why I can see the auras and sometimes identify them by signature... sen... sensei..." she gulped again. "Would you... would you allow me to use the Byakugan on Sasuke-kun to... to check something?"  
  
Kakashi retreated a few steps from the bed suavely. "Please. Go ahead."  
  
The girl nodded. She formed a hand seal, closing her eyes. When she opened them, they were surrounded by some protruding veins. She glanced in Sasuke's direction in concentration for a few moments, then shut her eyes. The veins retracted when she next opened them. There was a look of solemn determination in her eyes.  
  
"Well?" Kakashi asked gently.  
  
"I..." Hinata ventured to explain, eyebrows slightly knitted. "...I thought so. The aura around Sasuke-kun's head is gone. It was probably absorbed by the malicious aura Naruto-kun was releasing just now."  
  
"Whose aura was it?" Kakashi pressed on, frowning at the new development, suddenly feeling unsecure about the escaped Naruto, even though he knew Iruka to be highly reliable.  
  
"..." Hinata suddenly looked sad. "...the same aura that used to surround Sakura-san's head... the same aura that used to surround all the victims of the Mizu-Youma..."  
  
"What do you mean," Sasuke's eyes reflected pure horror. "I killed that bastard demon! How could he have..."  
  
"You forced him into hibernation, probably," Kakashi shook his head. "High level demons don't just die like that. They enter a period of stasis where they try to transfer their lifeforce into something or someone who can give them enough power to come back to life. Of course if the period of stasis passes and no suitable host is found, they die. If they do find a suitable host..." Kakashi's eye narrowed. "... they stay on... until they've either taken over the host completely... or sucked the host dry of Chakra..."  
  
"No..." Sasuke shook his head. "No... how... how could he have jumped to Naruto when Naruto haven't even come close to the demon's main body..."  
  
Kakashi sighed. He looked sadly at the piece of paper in his hands. "You got manipulated, Sasuke." He stated dully. "You brought the demon back to Konoha... when he rode on this piece of paper."  
  
Sasuke could literally feel his heart miss a beat.  
  
"Sasuke," Kakashi said in a firm voice, and waited until the boy looked at him in the eye. "I just came back from Hokage-sama's office. Your attack has caused a ripple of bad repercussions on the department. Although Hokage-sama is sympathetic to the cause, he has to put the village first. So," he brandished the folder in his hand, "we have orders, coming from the highest office in Konoha itself, that unless the Mizu-Youma is apprehended by 12 midnight tonight, then the department of the Anti-Youma Brigade will be dissolved and its staff members redistributed among the rest of the force." He quirked an eyebrow. "I don't have to say anything more to that, do I."  
  
Needless to say, Sasuke was agitated beyond words. He always cherished and remembered the Taiyoubu as the department his elder brother single-handedly brought to the fore of the force. And now, they were going to remove it just because of a small slip-up on his part? He sank into a deep, brooding depression, clutching the pale, white sheets of the hospital bed until his fists trembled. "How much time left?" He managed to mutter.  
  
"Seeing as it is nearly 9PM now," Kakashi looked at the clock in the room, "I would say we have a grand total of three hours left before departmental elimination." He pushed off the window sill he had been leaning against.  
  
Sasuke was already untangling himself from the bedsheets and finding his footing. He stood, surprised at how he felt almost normal, despite the numerous wounds he had received in the fight last night. He glanced at Kakashi. "We're going to find the idiot. NOW."  
  
"Yes, I agree," Kakashi nodded, to his surprise. "What a waste it would be to let the department I've put so much effort in all these years just be dismantled like that, huh?" He smiled cheerfully at the astounded Uchiha. "Aww, don't look at me like that, Sasuke," he was saying, "I /have/ been doing a lot of things for the department, you know?"  
  
Sasuke soon snapped out of his shock and was looking around the room for some non-hospital clothes. "Yeah right," he mumbled, then walked towards a closet Hinata was gesturing to. "Thanks," he nodded at the girl, who shyly nodded back. Fishing some darkly coloured cotton clothes up, he shot Kakashi one last look that translated to 'wait for me' before vanishing into the adjoining toilet.  
  
"Such a demanding boy, that he is," Kakashi smiled sadly. He glanced out of the window and into the sky, where raindrops continued to fall from. It had been dark and sunless the whole day, and Kakashi was beginning to feel a little dark himself. "Twelve midnight..." he murmured to himself. "...just like that day, huh?"  
  
  
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Iruka had not been able to wrestle much help out from Sandaime, but the Hokage had given enough hints as to the possible location of the now possessed Naruto. As Iruka leapt again from roof to roof, the words of the old Hokage, burnt deeply into his mind, kept repeating itself.  
  
/Demons can only overtake a host if the host is at a mental and emotional low ebb,/ Sarutobi had explained. /It was probably just able to barely take advantage of Naruto's psyche when Naruto was feeling sad about Sasuke's condition. He cannot fully take over Naruto until the boy completely loses himself. To do that, he could either try to talk the boy into insanity, or provoke him by bringing him to places./ The Hokage had frowned at this point of time. /The Mizu-Youma alone is dangerous enough. Coupled with the potential power of the Kyuubi, there is much to worry about. Find him quickly, Iruka. Before I have to be forced to send Hunter-Nin after him./  
  
The last sentence ringing loudly in his ears as a warning, Iruka shook his head free from distractions and bounded quickly towards his chosen destination.  
  
The monument where the names of fallen heroes were carved.  
  
  
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Iruka was surprised - and slightly suspicious, when he found Naruto easily. The blond was standing in front of the monument in the rain, staring at it. Not wanting to drag the anticipation out any further, Iruka made his presence known by landing heavily onto the grass. Naruto's head shifted slightly.  
  
"Naruto," Iruka called out, hoping to evoke a reaction that would reassure him that Naruto had regained control over his mind. "Naruto!" He called out, louder and fiercer. "Can you hear me? Naruto!"  
  
The blond turned around, a lazy grin across his face. "Yes, sensei," he boomed in the voice that was not his again, "I can hear you perfectly clearly."  
  
Iruka immediately dipped into a battle stance. "What do you want!" He shouted at the slowly turning figure of Naruto. "Get out of him!" He commanded angrily.  
  
The demon's aura flared outwards, until a physical shadow of itself could be seen surrounding Naruto. He grinned again. "My dear sensei... have you any idea how long I have been planning to possess this host body? How much I had to go through to be where I am now?" He tilted his face towards the sky, letting the rain pour freely down by his face. "Just a little more... and the full power of the Kyuubi... in my hands!"  
  
"You're insane!" Iruka scolded, despite himself. He niftily withdrew a kunai from his pouch and positioned it. "Nobody can take the full power of the Kyuubi and still live to tell it. Including your kind, Mizu-Youma!"  
  
The demon frowned through Naruto. "You are noisy for a pathetic excuse of a Chuunin," he started to walk closer. "Perhaps if I kill you, Naruto will crumble and be more willing to let me invade his mind!" A perverse smile decorated the demon's features. He took a couple of steps more, then vanished into the surroundings.  
  
Iruka took the opportunity of the demon's current blind spot to fling a notification bomb into the air, sparing it one glance as it exploded into smoke and colour noiselessly. "I think you underestimate both Naruto and me, Mizu-Youma," he said calmly, tracing the explosive Chakra of the demon easily. "We're not as easy to defeat as you think!"  
  
  
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Kakashi came to an abrupt stop when, somewhere in the distance, a notification bomb exploded. Sasuke was beside him in a moment. They exchanged a hasty glance. Without a word, they bounded off in the direction of the bomb, arriving at the name monument within seconds.  
  
Both Sasuke and Kakashi were surprised to literally bump into Shikamaru and Chouji at the entrance to the monument.  
  
"Shikamaru... Chouji!" Sasuke recognised the boys with a gasp. "What're you guys doing here?"  
  
Shikamaru sighed. "I should ask you that myself." He gestured. "We were patrolling... as usual... when we saw the notification bomb. Probably something troublesome... but it'll be more troublesome to listen to Asuma lose his temper if we don't answer the call so..." he shrugged. "That's why we're here."  
  
Sasuke was about to say something, but a fierce battle cry, coupled with the sounds of metal cringing against metal distracted them. The boys and one adult quickly located the source of the noise. They were all caught with horror and surprise, when they saw Naruto launching himself at Iruka violently.  
  
Sasuke immeidately stepped forward, meaning to interfere, but Kakashi stopped him. "Let Iruka distract him. We can't let the Mizu-Youma get away. All three of you!" He commanded in a loud voice, causing the boys to snap to attention before their superior. "I'll explain the situation later," he glanced apologetically at Shikamaru and Chouji, then the hardened resolve returned to his visible eye, "but for now, you're all going to set up a four-point barrier with me. Sasuke, east! Shikamaru, north! Chouji, west! Fifteen seconds, then we initiate the Jutsu. This is an order! Our countdown starts..." Kakashi paused to make sure all the boys were ready. When he saw that they were, his authorative voice rang loudly through the night air.  
  
"... NOW!"  
  
Four shadows flitted away into the night, pressing on towards their assigned directions, but leaving their minds and hearts behind with the tussle at the monument.  
  
The battle had only merely just began.  
  
  
  
  
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12/10/2004  
Part 14 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	15. Chapter Fourteen

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Chapter Fourteen  
  
  
  
Iruka was keenly aware that his reinforcements had arrived, and was relieved. As long as he kept the demon occupied, he knew Kakashi would be prudent enough to use the time gained to set up a barrier such that nobody could leave or enter the area for a certain time. The Mizu-Youma was also aware, his attacks growing more and more impatient. He appeared to be feeling awkward in a human body. Still, Iruka knew he could not last very much longer. Not only did the demon have better stamina - but Iruka also not willingly hurt Naruto as well, no matter how vile the demon inside him was.  
  
On that thought, he faltered slightly. The demon immediately grabbed the chance to implant a kunai deep into Iruka's left shoulder.  
  
Iruka yelped and leapt two steps back, choosing to letting his mangled hand dangle instead of covering it with his free hand. He growled at the demon, then was taken aback to find Naruto's eye colour back to original. The boy had an extremely horrified look on his face, and he stared at Iruka gaping like a goldfish. "Naruto!!" Iruka shouted, hoping his voice would reach him this time. "Naruto! Don't lose to him! Get him out of your head!"  
  
The heavy rain and the distance they stood apart, however, drowned out whatever Iruka had to say to Naruto. The boy trembled slightly, looking at his bloodied hands. He was rapt with attention, as if listening to someone say something rather interesting. His eyes began to flicker back to lifeless blue again. Iruka grit his teeth and dashed forward. If he could only just get to Naruto in time to give him a good, tight, Iruka-styled bonk on the head...  
  
The moment he came near enough, however, he had to quickly change directions.  
  
Naruto was gone. The demon was back.  
  
"Hahahah!!" The booming voice of the demon echoed through the clearing - louder and clearer than the rainfall itself. "So weak! Such a weak mind! Hahah!" He laughed louder, making Iruka fume even more. Turning to look at Iruka, he grinned some more. "It looks like I win again, sensei. Nobody can stop me from harnessing the power of the Kyuubi now!"  
  
Even as the demon declared his victory, he had pulled a kunai out from his pouch. Iruka watched in numb horror as fiery red Chakra began to surround the short weapon, lengthening the blade invisibly. Before he had a chance to react, the blade was already sailing his way at top speed. He gritted his teeth at the last moment and brought his hands up, hoping that the flesh barrier would at least prevent the weapon from endangering his life.  
  
The weapon was blown away in a strong, concentrated jet of wind before it came close to grazing Iruka's upheld arms.  
  
Even the demon was shocked, as he turned Naruto's head towards the source of the wind Jutsu. Not a second later, Kakashi dropped softly from out of a tree, shaking his head. "Tsk tsk," he shook a finger at Naruto, "didn't Iruka-sensei ever teach you to not count your chickens before they're hatched?"  
  
The demon stared at him, bewildered.  
  
"Of course I did!" Iruka, on the other hand, exclaimed with indignance at the apparent slight of his teaching skills. "But what does that have to do with anything now anyway?!"  
  
"Nothing, of course!" Kakashi smiled cheerfully, though he kept a watchful eye over the demon's aura. He turned back to regard the Youma cautiously when he sensed a shift. "Except," he addressed the possessed Naruto, "it means that you are /not/ going to be able to harness the power of the Kyuubi, water-demon."  
  
Naruto's shoulders jerked slightly, and his glazed eyes suddenly focused on Kakashi. "You can't stop me," he snarled. Putting a hand over Naruto's chest, he continued with a leer, "As long as I possess this vessel, you can't stop me!" He had bent his leg and was ready to move away now. "As long as you don't catch me, I have all the time in the world to learn to unleash the power!"  
  
"I'd like to see you try," a bone-chilling whisper cut through the demon's speech. The demon was evidently surprised, for he glanced quickly about himself, flustered, neither knowing nor sensing who or what had just said that. Kakashi raised an eyebrow to the dark skies. From out of the shadows of the forest, Sasuke slowly materialised into sight. His eyes were red and the spirals within were spinning. "You won't be able to get out of this area. You're not going to run away, Naruto."  
  
"Hmph! I am not this Naruto you speak of!" The demon angrily denied Sasuke, then bounded off towards the forest, meaning to escape. He was stopped short when the four-point barrier reacted by repelling him three steps backwards from the boundary of the forest. The demon stumbled, but quickly got onto his feet. He snarled at the barrier, then turned around to face his opponents. "Impossible!" He screeched. "How can you hold the barrier when you're inside it?!"  
  
"Hahah!" It was Chouji, who was standing somewhere atop the tree foliage. "This is why effective Ninja always work in groups, Naruto!"  
  
"Naruto," Shikamaru's voice was next, and he was standing somewhere adjacent to Chouji. His hands were in a seal, and from where the people on the ground could see, there were two shadow-based clones of his on the other sides where Kakashi and Sasuke should have been. "You really are so damned troublesome. Hurry up and kick that demon's ass or something so we can all go home!"  
  
"All of you, shut up!" The demon yelled, flailing his hands about. "Who is Uzumaki Naruto that you should care so much about him? He's useless, stupid, and a jinx! He doesn't want your friendship," he snarled in a semi-knowing smile, "and he doesn't want your pity either."  
  
"Bullshit!" Sasuke yelled back, hands joining together to form several complicated seals. Kakashi recognised the seals immediately. He stretched a leg out to trip the boy, and succeeded. After falling face first into the wet, soggy mud beneath, Sasuke sat up angrily. He snapped, "Kakashi!!"  
  
"Don't be stupid, Sasuke!" The Jounin frowned very hard at the boy. "Are you thinking of obliberating Naruto along with the demon?!"  
  
"I...!" The Uchiha's eyes widened as the import of Kakashi's scolding sinked in. He turned to stare at the still smirking figure of Naruto. "I..."  
  
As if on cue, the demon chuckled. "That's right, Sasuke," he stressed on Sasuke's name, "you won't hurt a hair on my back, because I have your friend's body, and you'd have to kill him first to kill me!"  
  
"You-!!" Sasuke leapt to his feet, ready to dive towards the demon to strangle him into unconsciousness if need be. The demon did not stop his evil grin as he formed the seals to a complicated Jutsu and blasted it out before Sasuke even came close to reaching him. "Suiton! Suikoudan no Jutsu!"  
  
Because of the rain, there was water all over the place. The raindrops paused for a split second, then converged together to form a large ball of water. The ball suspended itself slightly above the ground for a while, then rushed towards the direction where Sasuke, Iruka and Kakashi were.  
  
Sasuke was shocked, and immediately stopped dashing forward. He could only stare as the water drew closer. Behind him, Kakashi was already coming up with a counter. Before anyone had a chance to blink, the huge water bomb exploded into jets and sprays after colliding into the huge block of solid mud wall. Sasuke blinked at the towering barricade of brown before him. He glanced backwards to find Kakashi looking at him with a serious expression on his face.  
  
"Sasuke," he said quietly, "we don't have much time."  
  
The boy was immediately sobered. He turned back to stare ahead of him, where the water had stopped pounding on the wall and the mud was slowly slipping back to the ground. "I know..." he whispered coarsely, a large lump stuck in his throat.  
  
Iruka glanced at Sasuke, then at Kakashi, face decked in confusion. "What's going on?" He asked, wondering openly. A tremendous frustration overtook Sasuke at the question, though Kakashi's expression did not change. From atop the foliage, both Shikamaru and Chouji exchanged a questioning glance. Although the rain was heavy, they could clearly hear the conversation happening below - being Ninjas trained for such tasks. They waited, ears perked and curiosity piqued.  
  
Kakashi knew Sasuke would not respond to Iruka's query, so he took it upon himself to at least let the people involved know what the risks were. "Hokage-sama has decreed," he announced, slowly, "that the department will be assimilated into the rest of the Force..."  
  
"What?!" Iruka drew a sharp intake of breath. Atop the canopy, Shikamaru and Chouji gave each other a flabbergasted glance. The Anti-Youma Brigade had always been touted as the star department of the force. It took up missions nobody could ever solve and solved mysteries nobody had answers to. If it were to be disbanded, the morale of the staff would be forced down notches. What were the higher-ups thinking?  
  
Shikamaru personally, however, was aware of the jealousy among other staff members over the success of the department despite its low staff count and low profile. Dealing with Youma, especially, had been considered a dirty job from since times past. It was no wonder that the enemies of the department would seek to eliminate it immediately upon the first major hiccup Sasuke received for a long time. Shikamaru sighed. It was troublesome enough thinking about it.  
  
"Hokage-sama can't be serious," Iruka managed to blurb after a while. When he saw the despaired look in Kakashi's eye, however, his hope snuffed out. "What was his condition?" He asked timidly. "He couldn't have sentenced such a loyal department to death just like that."  
  
Kakashi did not immediately respond..  
  
"We have to kill the demon by twelve midnight tonight," Sasuke was the one to answer the question. The mud wall began to melt, as suddenly as it came. "...or the department goes." The boy turned from speaking to Iruka to facing the slowly visible demon-possessed Naruto. There was an unspeakable sadness in Sasuke's voice that made Iruka's heart ache.  
  
Between family honour and friendship, there had never been a clear choice.  
  
"Naruto," Sasuke said, softly at first. The demon quirked an eyebrow but did not otherwise respond. "Naruto." He said, louder this time. The demon did not react. "Naruto! Dammit!" Sasuke shouted. "I know you can hear me, dumb-twit!" A hint of bright blue flashed in Naruto's eyes, but only for a split second. The demon frowned, disturbed by the stirring in his inner consciousness.  
  
Sasuke continued, "That stupid demon's right, you know," the Uchiha smirked through his pain, "you're dumb, useless and a jinx to boot. And you know what?" Sasuke made a hand seal. "You're such a damsel in distress, you bloody baffoon. Always needing other people to rescue your stupid ass." The sequence of hand seals continued. "Always needing me to get you out of trouble!" The final seal was formed, and Sasuke closed his eyes.  
  
Kakashi immediately signalled for Iruka to head towards the east, while he himself retreated south. He made certain gestures to indicate that they were to take over Shikamaru's shadow-based clones in the four-point barrier position, and Iruka nodded to indicate that he understood.  
  
At first, Iruka wondered why there was a need for them to retreat and leave Sasuke alone with the possessed Naruto. As soon as he got into position, however, he understood. A large darkness was stretching out from beneath Sasuke at a rapid speed, devouring the surroundings, rendering the entire ground void and dark. Iruka gaped, speechless. He had never seen an illusion like this before and therefore could only guess what its effects were.  
  
"Be careful, my friends," Kakashi's stern but slightly joking voice answered the unanswered question, "and don't fall down into that black patch of land, okay? That's Sasuke's Jutsu territory. It allows him to control the world around him to his whim. Puts him at an absolute advantage over the opponent!" The cheerful voice continued, and Iruka felt his eyebrow twitch at the happy tone. "It's got a time limit though." Kakashi shrugged. "But Sasuke is taking this very seriously. Let's give him some help, shall we, boys?" He put his hands in a seal. "Hold up the barrier, guys! We're gonna block out the rain!"  
  
  
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Down at their informal arena, Sasuke and the demon faced off. Although the demon was visibly impressed, he did not so much as turn another glance at the impressive Genjutsu. "Sharingan," he did utter after a while. "... interesting."  
  
"I know of something even more interesting," Sasuke countered. "The lifeforce of a certain Mizu-Youma extracted and delivered to the Hokage, then put in the freezer in the laboratory. How's that?"  
  
The demon sneered. "You can't kill me without killing your friend."  
  
Sasuke shook his head. "Wrong," his hand was still firmly clasped in the final seal he had made just now. Tendrils of black nothingness now lapped gently at the sides of the forest. The only thing visible through the black spell was the quartz shaped monument, and the three logs of upright wood adjacent to it. Sasuke made three more seals, and glared hard at the demon with red eyes of spinning spirals. "In my world, Mizu-Youma," Sasuke spat, "I set the rules."  
  
  
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"They're not doing anything," Chouji wondered aloud, after a few minutes had passed and nothing loud, amazing, or otherwise fatal to either parties had happened yet. "They're just standing there in that patch of black land."  
  
"Chouji, it's an illusion," Shikamaru reminded him mildly, "illusions don't attack people physically. It goes for the mind."  
  
"But still!" Chouji grumbled slightly. "It's so hard to see who's winning and who's losing like this."  
  
Shikamaru stared downwards through the four-point barrier, and had to agree with Chouji. Sasuke stood, in a poised position, hands locked tightly in a seal that if broken, would probably break the Jutsu as well. Naruto, possessed by the demon, had been smiling strangely all the time, even when the illusion stretched around him. It was really difficult to foresee who had the upper hand.  
  
"We'll have to wait and see," Kakashi sighed. "We'll just have to wait and see..."  
  
  
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The demon smirked, and was forming seals quickly. "I don't believe a word of what you humans say," he snarled. The final seal formed. "Mizu Bunshin!"  
  
A long moment passed, but no water clone of Naruto emerged.  
  
"What!" The demon released his handseal and glanced about around him. "Impossible!"  
  
"You are in my territory now," Sasuke reminded him. "Your Chakra is as good as completely depleted. Now, foul water-demon," Sasuke's eyes widened, and the spirals began to spin into a single point in the boy's irises. "You can't escape, you can't move, you can't fight me, and you are going to return Naruto to me!"  
  
"You're lying!" The demon shot back with a growl. "I know this is just an illusion. You can't hurt me with your illusions!" He laughed bitterly. "And you most certainly won't be able to force me out of the Kyuubi's body! No mind attack can!"  
  
Sasuke snorted. "Would you like to try it, then?"  
  
Suddenly from out from the ground, pairs of hands emerged, surrounding the surprised demon menacingly. The demon ventured to take a step back, out of pure reflex, but was stopped when more dark hands came from underground to stop his movement. He looked straight ahead at Sasuke questioningly, who was still staring at him with the evolved Mangekyou. Then the hands all reached out for him - touching him, digging deep into his body and possession. The demon knew he hollered, but no voice came out - he was just as Sasuke described; helpless to the whims of the controller of this world. He grew even more afraid, when he saw - distinctly, the shadowy arms pull the figure of an unconscious Naruto literally out of himself.  
  
"How is that possible?!" The demon screamed. "This is just an illusion!"  
  
"I told you," Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, still staring. "Your mind is now my world, and in my world, I set the rules. If I ask you to lift your right hand," the demon lifted his right hand, and he stared at it in absolute shock, since he had not intended to do so. "...then you lift it. Got it?" Sasuke concluded with a triumphant sneer.  
  
"You... little..." The demon glared hard at Sasuke, quickly lowering his hand. He was doubtlessly under Sasuke's mind control now, but the fact that he could still talk and move on his own will meant that he still had slight control over his body. He began to search his mind for solutions, snarling angrily at Sasuke all the while.  
  
  
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"Wow, it looks like it's actually having an effect," Chouji remarked with amazement, when the demon suddenly started shouting out in pain. His eyes were laden with fright and desperate struggling. In a curious moment, he raised his right arm and then began to sprout curses at Sasuke yet again. Chouji was amused, but could only guess at what was happening.  
  
"How long are we to wait, Kakashi-san?" Iruka asked, turning his head to look at the older person.  
  
Kakashi frowned again, realising mundanely that he had been frowning a lot more lately. "Until Sasuke makes the demon abandon Naruto's body. Don't give up, guys. This is crucial. Not a drop of rain must fall into the territory," Kakashi projected his whispered voice such that only the Leaf Ninjas could hear him, and they all nodded, knowing they could do nothing but watch on.  
  
  
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The demon finally stopped snarling. "How can you physically tear my host away from me?! This is impossible!" He struggled to grab on to the slowly withdrawn body of Naruto, only to find that he could no longer touch it. "What!"  
  
"Your hold over Naruto is just a pathetic mind-link, fool," Sasuke said dully, hands clasped so tightly together in his final seal that they were beginning to be drained of blood. "Once you fall to my Jutsu, there's no link in your mind I can't break."  
  
"Why you..." The water demon cursed, but inside, he panicked hard, his mind racing through all the possible things he could use to counter this apparently omniscient Jutsu. His mind suddenly turned into memory lane, however, and he was smirking by the time he was through with his evaluation. If he couldn't break this Jutsu by physical means, there was something else he knew he could try. "Sasuke," the demon said, feeling highly satisfied when he saw the young Uchiha jump with shock.  
  
The demon had chosen to use Naruto's voice, after all.  
  
"I thought we were friends?" He said, using the same voice, face decked with a huge grin. "Were you /lying/ when you told me you'd never hurt me?"  
  
Sasuke's lip begin to tremble. His hand seal weakened.  
  
"Were you lying," Naruto asked, as he withdrew a kunai from within his pouch and held it poised above his heart, "when you said... you wouldn't let me die?"  
  
In what seemed like slow motion, Naruto plunged the kunai towards his heart.  
  
"NO!!" Sasuke shouted, his concentration spent and the Jutsu broken. The darkness began to recede, for Sasuke no longer held the hand seal in place and neither did he provide his Chakra to maintain the illusion. In his fluster, he had completely forgotten that had he kept at the Jutsu, he could have stayed the demon's hand easily through their mind link. His mind, however, descended into terrible chaos when he saw that the demon was going to fatally wound Naruto. He leapt forward at top speed, and before he knew it, had grabbed Naruto's wrist and yanked the kunai away with the other hand. "Don't you dare!!" His eyes began to pulsate back to normal Sharingan. "Don't you dare hurt him!"  
  
Naruto blinked innnocently. Then an evil grin spread across his face. Behind him, he yanked another kunai out of the pouch and stabbed Sasuke through his midriff cleanly. "You're right. I wouldn't dare hurt him. He's my precious vessel - the source of the endless Chakra that I will be tapping on." Slowly, he withdrew the kunai out out Sasuke, then pushed the injured boy away. "How could I possibly think of wanting to hurt him? Thank you so much for reminding me!" He chortled into the air.  
  
Sasuke landed on the grass with a loud splash, into the puddles of water that had gathered there from the rain just now. He held onto his stomach, wincing with pain. The kunai had come near to puncturing a kidney, and he was in great pain. He had not quite recovered from his previous injuries yet as well, so that added to his suffering.  
  
As he struggled to get up, a shadow loomed over him. Before he could open his eyes to look at the demon properly, he received a harsh, well-placed kick to the same spot the kunai had stabbed him in. He cried out at the sudden attack, rolling over at the sheer force of the kick until he came to a stop just near the barrier.  
  
The water demon followed, kneeling down beside the boy and grabbing him by the scuff of his collar. "You are /so/ easy to read, Sasuke," he drew the boy near and shook his head. "I read you like an open book last night, and you're just like an open book now, too. Friends are useless, worthless things, who will only lead you to your doom." He laughed. "Only power matters! Nothing else does!"  
  
By this time, Sasuke had recovered slightly from the pain and dizziness of rolling about. His eyes reflected steel determination, evidenced in the glare he now shot the sneering demon. He tilted his head backwards slightly, and before the demon could back away or let him go, swung forward in with tremendous force and hit his forehead against the demon's forehead with a headbutt driven by great force and energy. As the demon reeled, Sasuke took the chance to deliver a firm uppercut to his jaw, making the demon lose his balance and topple over onto the grass.  
  
Quickly, though, Naruto's body flipped away, so that he now crouched in a poised position facing Sasuke. He emitted a low rumble. Sasuke stood as well, staring at Naruto with an unreadable expression on his face.  
  
"Naruto!!" The Uchiha suddenly shouted, breaking the tedious silence. "Snap the hell out of it already! If we don't capture that stupid water demon by midnight, the Taiyoubu will be dissolved and it's all gonna be your stupid dumbass fault! And because it's all your fault, you're gonna have to be my servant for the rest of my life, you hear? You're gonna clean the floor for me, wash my bedsheets, fold my clothes, fix my roof, heat my bath, clean my dishes, dust my storeroom, mop my basement... - though I don't need you to cook for me. Goodness only knows what kind of disaster you'll put out on the dinner table--"  
  
"HEY!" Naruto's loud voice suddenly screeched through the clearing. "Who the hell said I'm gonna be your stupid little lapdog?! How about /you/ become my servant, huh??! You're such a stuck-up, self-assuming, arrogant prick that I oughta-"  
  
During this time, Sasuke had walked closer to the boy, peered carefully at him, then whacked him upside the head.  
  
"-give you OW! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!"  
  
"Took you long enough to get back," he smirked.  
  
"Get back?" Naruto was confused. "Get back from where? I never went anywhere! I... oh... wait. Oh shit!" The blond retreated a few steps, holding on to his head in visible pain. "Shit! Shit! St... Stay away! Don't come near me!" He screeched, trying to back as far away as he could from Sasuke.  
  
"Naruto!" Sasuke ignored the warning, and like any other sensible person would, took a step closer. "Naruto! Naruto!!"  
  
"I said go away!!" Naruto yelled one last time. In a single, spectacular feat of stealth, he vanished. At this point of time, Sasuke stopped advancing, finally sensing something wrong. Before he could even take a step back, however, he found the wind being knocked out of him. A hand grabbed onto his shoulder, slamming him against the four-point barrier wall.  
  
When he opened his eyes, Naruto was staring at him, murder in his eyes.  
  
"Nice try, human!" The demon roared angrily. "You almost got me there! But you know what?" He lifted Sasuke up slightly, then slammed him against the barrier again. "I've had WAY more experience with mind manipulation than you do, foolish boy!" The kunai was back in the demon's hand. "That was your last resort, wasn't it?" The demon whispered furtively into Sasuke's ear. "Well done! But you're getting to be quite a distraction." The blade was lifted up in the air, and Sasuke struggled to no avail to try to get out of the demon's grasp. "Consider this my last resort too, my 'good friend'!"  
  
With a gleam and a swing, the sharp blade buried itself deep.  
  
Deep, into the invisible wall of the barrier just beside Sasuke's head.  
  
Naruto's hand suddenly trembled. His eyes were saucer-wide and his breathing was ragged and heavy. He jumped backwards all of a sudden, dropping the kunai and burying his face in his palms. Sasuke pushed away from the barrier quickly, whipping out his own kunai and leaping forward, tackling Naruto to the ground. He positioned the kunai over Naruto's neck instinctively, regretting it but knowing he had no other choice. He watched the blond intently, deciding he would try to knock him out if he manifested signs of the demon.  
  
Naruto blinked, gulped, and shook his head. He stared at Sasuke with clear eyes. "...me..." He whispered in a shaky voice. "Now... do it now, Sasuke... while you still can!"  
  
"What?" Sasuke blinked in surprise. He could not make out what Naruto was saying amidst the background noise of heavy rain falling on the four-point barrier.  
  
Naruto grit his teeth. "Kill me!" He repeated, so loudly this time Sasuke was sure the Kazekage could hear it. "Do it now while you still can! Do it before he takes over me again! Sasuke!!"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about!" Sasuke punched Naruto in the nose, and the blond yelled loudly in complaint, holding his bleeding face. "I can't believe you're admitting you're weaker than that stupid water demon! Get him the hell out so we can capture the thing and close this case, idiot!"  
  
"Don't call me an idiot!" Naruto screeched back, albeit in very muffled tones due to his broken nose. "I can't control them anymore! They're taking over me completely!" He continued to shout incoherently at his partner. "I don't know how long I can hold them out so just do what I say, okay?! You only have until midnight, right? That's like, twenty minutes!! Hurry up and do it!"  
  
"You're nuts!" Sasuke's voice was loud and horrified. "You're crazy! You're so stupid I don't know what to say anymore! How could..." He gasped for breath, "... how could you even think that I'd kill you for something as stupid as..." He stopped abruptly, when he realised what he was going to say next.  
  
"For your family's honour!" Naruto, on the other hand, completed the sentence for him. Wincing at the impact and import of those words, Sasuke averted his glance, all of a sudden very terrified at the situation before him. "What happened to your promise to your older brother? That you'd make the department worthy enough for the name of the Uchiha?" There was silence. "You can't just let a small thing like me hold you up!" The cheer in Naruto's voice sounded so contrived, Sasuke felt like punching him again.  
  
"Shut up, idiot," the Uchiha said softly. He needed to think. But there was no time. He got off Naruto and stood, staring into space. Naruto stood as well.  
  
"Sasuke," Naruto said, much quieter, much more sombre this time. "Sasuke... even if you don't kill me," there was pain and resignation in the voice, "I won't be me anymore. The Mizu-Youma has embedded himself too deep inside for me to be able to drive him out any longer. Treat it as you're doing me a favour, please..." He smiled. "Kill me, before he breaks out," the smile became a frown. "When that happens... then /I'll/ kill /you/, and that'll be the end... the real end of the Brigade. No one else left to restore it. You understand, right?"  
  
Sasuke stared at a moment into the clear, lucid eyes of Naruto, who was waiting for his destiny to come. He gritted his teeth and shook his head. "No! You shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!! I can't... I /won't/, so just shut your mouth!"  
  
Naruto's quickly grabbed onto Sasuke's wrist - the one holding onto the kunai - before Sasuke could pull away. For a long, painful moment, the boys did nothing but stare at each other, trying but failing to read each other's minds.  
  
"Hey," Naruto spoke up first, giving Sasuke a smile that didn't quite reach his ears, but was genuine enough to give him a glow. "It was really nice knowing you. If you smile a bit more, I think you'd have a lot of friends. And one day..." The boy closed his eyes, pulling Sasuke's hand closer, so that the kunai was now positioned /very/ dangerously over his exposed neck. "... you'll get to know one who'll be the one to break the curse!"  
  
It took Sasuke one second to realise what those words really meant.  
  
One second too late.  
  
The blade slashed cleanly through Naruto's neck. And the lifeless body of Naruto, fresh blood still pouring from the wide gash across his throat, fell into his stiff arms. Sasuke could do nothing but catch the boy in numb shock, trying desperately to will this to be nothing more than a nightmare. A nightmare he had been having every night since he was cursed by the snake demon. He would wake up and realise it was just a silly dream. Then he would meet Naruto in the station, and they would listen to Kakashi rant. Iruka would pass them some files, and they would go visit Sakura for more information. Life would be so normal.  
  
So simple.  
  
But life was not.  
  
Vaguely, from the corner of his eyes, Sasuke could see the Mizu-Youma quickly unhooking its Chakra from Naruto's - for a dead host meant a dead parasite. Instincts kicked in, and Sasuke quickly formed a set of seals. "Kinjutsu... Youma Fuuin!" Quickly, quietly, the lifeforce of the Mizu-Youma was captured by the Kinjutsu, and trapped in a warded bottle. The bottle fell onto the grass, with Sasuke watching it dispassionately.  
  
The mission was a success, but his life was a failure.  
  
Raindrops slowly began to fall into the barrier, as it was released.  
  
Kakashi appeared first, quietly. He took the bottle and wrapped it up further with a scroll. He avoided looking at the slumped figure of Naruto in Sasuke's arms, commanding, "Come with me. We're going to see Hokage-sama now."  
  
Sasuke nodded numbly. He slowly pushed Naruto away from himself, finding Iruka by his side instantly, more than happy to be taking over. He saw Shikamaru and Chouji hovering about in the background, like they were afraid to approach. As he slowly turned to follow Kakashi, he saw the look of sheer despair on Iruka's face, as he cradled the lifeless form of Naruto in his arms, wracked with silent sobs.  
  
Sasuke quickly, and quietly, vanished into the night.  
  
Kakashi stayed behind slightly longer. This time, he did look at Naruto. His expression was unreadable when Iruka noticed him staring, and he stared right back. Kakashi whispered something softly. Something that travelled through the night air into Iruka's ears alone.  
  
Iruka's eyes widened when he heard what Kakashi said. He was about to struggle to his feet, mouth agape and brimming with questions, but Kakashi shook his head at him.  
  
"Just go." Kakashi said out loud this time, so that even Shikamaru and Chouji could hear him. He nodded once, almost pleadingly at the Chuunin, before he, too, disappeared into the night.  
  
The storm slowly tapered off into a mere shower. The clouds cleared overhead, and the moon began to adorn the land with its rays for the first time in the past few months.  
  
Iruka gulped, quickly gathering his charge into his arms and getting onto his feet. "Shikamaru, Chouji!" He bellowed commandingly, and the boys snapped into attention. "Come with me!"  
  
The duo blinked questioningly at him, so Iruka offered them a weak smile.  
  
"All is not lost yet."  
  
He had whispered.  
  
  
  
  
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15/10/2004  
Part 15 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  



	16. Epilogue

NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!  
  
  
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Against the Tide  
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Epilogue  
  
  
  
"Sasuke," Kakashi was saying, one day - nearly a year after the affair of the Mizu-Youma had passed. The boy paused in sorting out some of his reports to look at his superior. "You need a Youma-Ningen for your next mission," Kakashi continued.  
  
If Sasuke had been somewhat closer, he would have spotted the utterly mischievous glint in Kakashi's visible eye.  
  
The boy was not so close, however, so instead he found himself frowning heavily at the notion. "Why?" He demanded. And it was a reasonable question. He had handled S-rank missions by himself a couple of times already. He didn't see why there would be a need to engage another Youma-Ningen.  
  
Not especially when he remembered - with great pain and regret, what had happened to the last one.  
  
Kakashi shrugged. "I'm not above the legislation, Sasuke. If the rules say you need one, then you need one. Even Hokage-sama can't bend it just to suit your whim, you know."  
  
Sasuke slammed his pen down on the table and glared at his teacher. "You know what I mean, Kakashi."  
  
"Of course I do," the Jounin sighed. "But for once in your life just stop being an ass about things and /listen/ to me. The /rules/ say you need a Younin for your next mission. I can't do anything about it, you can't do anything about it either. I'm also /very sure/ you don't want to give the enemies of the department another cause for complaint, do you?" He paused, noticing that Sasuke was slinking back into his seat with obvious displeasure on his face. "In that case, you will /not/ flout the rules just because of some personal vendetta you have against it." His tone turned from mocking to serious. "How about this. You don't have to go to the Laboratory. I'll make the arrangements for you. You'll just have to do your job."  
  
The Uchiha rubbed his temples and sighed. Since when had Kakashi bothered to be so considerate? It was true, however, that he would rather pick up another two S-rank missions than to step into the Youma Laboratory again. He tried not to make it too obvious, but his brief acquaintance with Naruto had affected him more than he cared to admit. "Okay," he murmured to Kakashi. He then stood up, grabbed the file he had been working on, and turned away. "I'll be at home if you need me."  
  
"Sure thing..." Kakashi let his voice trail after the departing figure of Sasuke. As the boy stormed his way out of the department hall from one end, Iruka stepped in from the other. He knocked briefly on the office door, then slipped inside without waiting to be okayed. "Kakashi-san," he spoke, voice sombre.  
  
Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at the Chuunin.  
  
After a long silence, Iruka broke into a wide, bright grin.  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Sasuke did not immediately head home. He found himself, for some inexplicable reason, atop the monument that evening, sitting on the rough ground beside the drink vending machines with legs outstretched, looking at the sun set. He had a can of cold drink in his hand, one that he had yet to even open, less say drink from. The sun continued to adorn the village with its soft, orange glow, slowly disappearing behind the massive woods north. At this thought, Sasuke's hand gripped the can drink tighter.  
  
He quickly opened the can and gulped the contents of the drink down. Finishing which, he leaned forward and sighed loudly, partly because of the drink, and partly because of his own frustration.  
  
For the past one year, he had never had a good night's rest.  
  
Watching his hands carefully, he could still picture them as they were that night. Bloodied, stained, repulsive, and wet with offensive rain and tears.  
  
How could a single Younin with whom he had but a few days of friendship have so much influence on his life? Burying his face into his palms, Sasuke found out that he didn't know. He had thought relationships were all over for him when his brother died. But deep inside, he knew he yearned to have a friend to call his own. Long years of living by himself had conditioned him to know how to survive without anyone, but still, he had to admit.  
  
It was much nicer to have someone by your side, talking to you, listening, quarreling, watching out.  
  
Drinking the last dredges of what was left in the can, Sasuke stood abruptly and tossed the empty can into the nearby bin. He dusted himself robotically, flipping through the file he had in his hands to make sure everything was in order, before slowly making his way down from the monument, many thoughts weighing heavily on his mind.  
  
"Another partner..." Sasuke found himself frowning hard. "I hope it's someone with a death wish this time..." A loud sigh escaped his lips. He could not believe he had just uttered that, but as he walked on, he realised sadly that he had nothing else to say about the matter.  
  
The journey home seemed so much longer that night.  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
The first thing Sasuke did upon stepping into his house and switching the lights on, was to blink.  
  
And blink.  
  
And blink again.  
  
There were, not one, not two, three, four, or even five extra pairs of shoes sitting in the shoe rack.  
  
There were seven pairs of shoes that were not his, sitting on his shoe rack.  
  
As soon as Sasuke got over the shock, he realised that it wasn't really seven pairs of unknown shoes. He could recognise the pair that belonged to Kakashi upon closer examination, but the others, he knew nothing of. He swore under his breath and broke into a run, still clutching onto the file and for countless times since he turned twelve, cursed at how big the Uchiha manor was. He came to a skidding halt when, just before turning the corner that led to the kitchen, Shikamaru emerged quietly. Both boys' eyes widened, and Sasuke just narrowly avoided collapsing into the other boy.  
  
Unfortunately, however, this meant he crashed straight into the wall.  
  
"Woah," Shikamaru mumbled, turning his head to look at Sasuke, currently flattened against the wall. "Watch your step, man. You almost got me there."  
  
Sasuke peeled himself off the wall and rubbed his nose. "Oh shut up." He grumbled. Then, realisation sunk in, and he whipped around furiously. "Wait! What are you doing here?! How the hell did you get in anyway?!"  
  
In response, Shikamaru yawned. He stuffed his hands back into his pocket and was about to open his mouth for a reply when another voice cut him short.  
  
"Hey, Shikamaru!" It was Chouji, and his head popped out from the kitchen. "Don't just stand there, go get the tomatoes already! Oh, hi there Sasuke!" The chubby boy greeted with a wave, then dived back to the kitchen.  
  
Sasuke's jaw was slack. He stared at Shikamaru, who stared back. Finally, the latter shrugged and slowly walked away, brushing by Sasuke without saying anything else. And as for Sasuke, he was too surprised to call Shikamaru back.  
  
"Sasuke-kun!" It was a female voice this time - one that he had not heard for nearly a year. He turned hesitantly, and the shock of pink hair that greeted him confirmed his suspicions. "Sasuke-kun, you're back!" She giggled. "That's great! Because-"  
  
"Sakura," Sasuke blinked, and his eyebrow twitched. "What are /you/ doing here?"  
  
"What are you talking about, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's eyes reflected shock and a little but of hurt. "Kakashi-sensei said you were so excited about this! He was the one who got us all over!"  
  
"Kakashi, huh..." Sasuke smiled - but it was not a pleasant smile. He stomped down the corridor, towards where the study was. Whenever Kakashi dropped by, he always ruminated in the study room with all the musty old books. "He's the one behind this whole mess, isn't he?"  
  
"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura followed meekly, uttering in a hushed tone. "...I thought... I thought today was a special day... since... since it's..."  
  
Sasuke, however, was too busy poking his head into the various rooms along the corridor to have heard Sakura. "Kakashi!" He shouted at the top of his voice, slamming doors open and close. "Kakashi! Where the hell are you! Get out the hell out of wherever you're hiding! KAKASHI!!"  
  
He crossed the corridor and stepped into the living room, where furniture had been moved aside in favour of a large table in the middle. The room was abnormally bright that day, perhaps because of the extra lighting that had been installed on the ceiling. Finding his eyebrow twitching again, Sasuke lapsed into even louder shouting. "KAKASHI!! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU I'M GONNA-"  
  
"Yes, Sasuke-/kun/?" Kakashi suddenly popped out from under the tablecloth with a wide, masked smile. "What will you do to me if you find me?"  
  
Instantly, Sasuke was by Kakashi's side. He grabbed the taller person by his shoulders and hoisted him out violently. "KAKASHI!!" He grounded out through gritted teeth. "WHAT. THE. HELL. DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO MY HOUSE?!" He shook the man, who continued smiling lewdly and not responding. "If you wanted to throw a party you should do it at YOUR house! My place isn't some emergency ballroom for your stupid whimiscal last-minute Shinobi binges, and never WILL be! And what have you done to my house!! You better explain yourself before I throw you into the oven to serve you to your guests-"  
  
"Sa... Sasuke-kun..." Hinata had somehow sneaked up to the boy during his tirade, saying while fiddling with her fingers, "... I... I think it's not nice to shake your benefactor like... like that..." She gulped and abruptly stopped when Sasuke turned to look at her with spinning Sharingan. "I... I'm sorry! Sorry! I... I didn't mean..."  
  
"Hinata, don't be afraid of him!" It was yet another voice he hadn't heard for at least a year. He could recognise that chiding, school-teacher tone anywhere, though. "He wouldn't dare to hit you, Hinata, so go ahead and give him a piece of your mind!" Iruka smiled, walking into view with a large bag of groceries. He smiled at the shocked Sasuke, then turned towards the kitchen.  
  
"Iruka-sensei!" Sasuke called out after his ex-Academy teacher, deciding that he was the most reliable person in the entire house to be asking questions about. Iruka did not turn around, and soon disappeared around the corner, so Sasuke had to return to growling angrily at Kakashi. "Just what is going on?!" He shook the Jounin, wondering why he was overpowering the more skilled man so easily. He ignored Hinata's broken pleas and shook Kakashi even harder. "You've been behaving like a lunatic lately, giggling and muttering to yourself! What's going on?! Say something, Kakashi!!"  
  
"I think he would, if you stopped shaking him that hard."  
  
"Shut up, dead-last! Who asked you!"  
  
"...ARGH!! How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that, bastard! Don't you ever LISTEN to people?!"  
  
"Shut up! Shut up! I'll call you whatever I want and..."  
  
The silence that followed was abrupt.  
  
Sasuke slowly turned around.  
  
To find himself staring into familiar blue depths.  
  
And at a wide, foxy grin.  
  
"Yo, Sasuke!" Naruto flashed the boy a thumbs-up. "Long time no see!"  
  
Even from the kitchen, Iruka could hear Kakashi slipping from Sasuke's grasp to hit the ground with a sound thud.  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
The entire group was now seated around the table, surrounded by absolute silence. Kakashi sat at the head of the table - given the honour purely based on the fact that he was the oldest in the group, with Sasuke seething silently beside him. Naruto sat opposite Sasuke, and kept throwing him confused glances. Finally, he tugged at Iruka's sleeve, whispered something to his guardian, and after Iruka's eyes widened silghtly, the silence was broken.  
  
"Kakashi-san," there was slight bewilderment in Iruka's voice, "please don't tell me... that you've never told Sasuke about Naruto at all, this past whole year."  
  
"Hmm?" Kakashi looked up from doodling mindlessly on the table. "Hmm..." he put a finger to his chin. "You're right! I think I completely forgot to!"  
  
The pair of chopsticks in Sasuke's hand was snapped into two, prompting everybody to shift instinctively backwards from him.  
  
Iruka blinked once and sighed. "So that's why Sasuke never came once to visit Naruto in the Laboratory."  
  
"Aah" Shikamaru stretched, leaning backwards in his seat. "I knew that must've been it."  
  
"Shikamaru, you knew?" Chouji asked his friend, while wolfing down the chips he had in his hands.  
  
"Not hard to guess after a while," Shikamaru waved a hand lazily. "There's no way Sasuke wouldn't come visit Naruto unless he was dead or otherwise uninformed. Since I see him walking around in the station every other day, he can't possibly be dead, so it had to mean that he wasn't told."  
  
"Why didn't you tell him then?" Chouji continued to probe, mouth stuffed with chips. "I thought he didn't want to visit because he was feeling guilty or something..."  
  
"Dunno, it seemed so troublesome..." Shikamaru shrugged, "but really, if it was really about guilt, then Sasuke'd probably be eating, sleeping and living right beside Naruto while he recovers... coz that's just the way he'd deal with guilt," he eyed Sasuke lazily. "Right?"  
  
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura's admonishing voice was heard next. "You know, Naruto would've woken up much earlier if Sasuke had come visit once in a while." All around her, heads nodded away. "That was very mean of you."  
  
"Aww," Kakashi tried to defend himself. "But where's the /fun/ in that?" He ignored the various death glares hurled in his direction. "Besides, after the first few weeks, Naruto was already steadily improving so much so that he didn't need machines to breath anymore. I just thought it'd be better to let him wake up... naturally."  
  
"You still shouldn't have-"  
  
All conversation was cut short by Sasuke slamming a fork into the table so hard, the fork remained wedged into the wooden top even after he released his hold on it. "Now," he said in a murderous voice, after he was sure he had everyone's attention. "Is anybody going to tell me /what/ in the /world/ is going on? While you can still do so /voluntarily/?"  
  
"Calm down, Sasuke," Iruka firmly commanded. "It was nothing spectacular. Last year, after that particular attack, we brought Naruto back to the Youma Lab, where some of Kakashi-san's medic friends were waiting. Somehow he had gotten them to do him the favour, and so they set about to reviving him immediately. His heart was very weak, although it was still beating. The medics said the heart had actually stopped beating before, but the demon within him must have woken it up much later.  
  
"Anyway, they managed to establish his heartbeat, but he was still very weak. We needed - at one shot - a huge amount of Chakra to reconnect Naruto's brain to the rest of the body. None of us present then had that kind of Chakra, until," he paused to sneak a glance at Kakashi, who waved a spoon about lazily in acknowledgement, "until Kakashi-san showed up. Thanks to his Chakra, we managed to keep Naruto alive enough, until the demon fox inside him finally was able to start healing him."  
  
"He didn't wake up immediately after that though." Kakashi added, while eyeing Sasuke. "Something strange was holding him back."  
  
Sasuke jumped. He knew exactly what Kakashi was trying to insinuate. "The curse..."  
  
"Ye... Yes..." Hinata stuttered into the conversation. "I... I was called upon to check on Naruto-kun some months back... I... I was surprised to see that he was not awake yet... since, since... he was very healthy and showed no signs of mental distress... just... just a very strange purple Chakra... hovering about him..."  
  
"That's why I didn't want to tell Sasuke," Kakashi intercepted, pointing his spoon across the table. "If Sasuke was there, being the bearer of the curse, he could have triggered off some nasty side effects I have no intention of finding out at all. Just him knowing about it alone may cause some emotional imbalance with the curse," Kakashi shrugged. "It would have affected Naruto, and in turn it would affect the Kyuubi, who was doing most of the fighting against the curse. See?" He beamed at everybody. "It was all for a good cause."  
  
There was awe in everybody's expression. Awe at Kakashi's foresight, and his unrivaled competance.  
  
"It was not because I wanted to give Sasuke the shock of his life. No sire. Not at all."  
  
The looks of awe tapered off into boredom and annoyance. Small talk began to ensue all around the table, breathing life to the previous bleak and sombre living room. Sasuke leaned backwards, with his head tilted to look at the ceiling. His mind was numb after the shocking revelation, that he had forgotten what else he had wanted to ask.  
  
Just as the news was finally beginning to settle in his mind, he felt a small nudge against his feet, from under the table. He immediately lowered his glance to survey the table, eventually letting it settle on Naruto, who was seated directly opposite him. The blond's glance was somewhere else, however, so Sasuke dismissed the thought that it could be him. Just as he was about to turn away to scrutinise the rest of the noisy crowd, the blond spared him a sudden, sidelong glance.  
  
He grinned, and Sasuke felt his foot being trodden on distinctly this time. Keeping his face straight, he kicked right back, and smirked to himself when he noted a brief look of pain registering on Naruto's face. The boy puffed his cheeks and glared at Sasuke. He was about to retaliate, when they both their feet being blocked by someone else.  
  
"Now now children," Kakashi whispered to them with a hushed, secretive tone. "It's not nice to play under the table when we're all trying to eat here."  
  
The boys withdrew their feet, embarrassed that they had been found out.  
  
Soon, however, Sasuke rebounded back into attention, remembering something. "Hey," he eyed the crowd suspiciously, "you still haven't told me what you guys are here for."  
  
The rest of the people threw confused glances first at him, then suspicious looks at Kakashi.  
  
"Oops," the Jounin said, twirling his fork around his fingers, "I think I forgot to tell him about that too."  
  
There were groans from all around the table. Shikamaru surprised everybody by speaking up first. "Chouji and I were transferred to the Taiyoubu a couple of days ago," he shrugged lazily. "It was really troublesome going through all the red tape, so I hope you two don't give me even more trouble than you already are!" He raised an eyebrow at Naruto and Sasuke. Chouji grinned and nodded in agreement.  
  
Sasuke gaped. "You... trans.. wha... what?" He blinked.  
  
"We don't how permanent it'll be," Chouji shrugged. "Asuma-sensei got sent on a long mission to the Cloud, so we're on our own for a while. Since there are more Genins opting to come into Patrol department, they asked us to get out for a while. I remembered that the Taiyoubu is always lacking staff so I dragged Shikamaru along and here we are!" He grinned.  
  
"..." Sasuke's mouth was open, but there was no sound.  
  
"I couldn't recover all of my memories even after the attack," Sakura continued from where Chouji left off, twisting the hem of her skirt around shyly. "So I decided to quit my team and stay on in the hospital as an apprentice medic-nin. Hinata and I applied, then a couple of days ago we were notified that we've been transferred to the Taiyoubu." She beamed. "I've always wanted to work with you, Sasuke-kun. Pleased to be of good assistance!"  
  
"But..." Sasuke gulped. "What... What about the cur--"  
  
"The curse," Kakashi interrupted, "has been lifted - from since quite a few months ago."  
  
"It has?" The Uchiha could only ask, dumbly.  
  
Kakashi raised a complicated eyebrow at the boy. "You mean you didn't notice? How long have you /not/ showered, Sasuke?"  
  
The boy bristled. "HEY!"  
  
"But it's true," the silver-haired Jounin leaned forward slightly. "You haven't felt any pain on your lower neck for quite a while now, have you?"  
  
Sasuke blinked. That was true, although he had not thought much of it. He had been too engrossed with busying himself in work to have noticed. Any curse-related pain had tapered off to nothingness in the past few months indeed, now that he thought about it.  
  
He was still staring in wonderment when Naruto, from across the table, grinned. "I told you!" He proudly told Sasuke. "No stupid curse is too powerful for Uzumaki Naruto, next Hokage and Ninja extraordinaire! I so totally win!"  
  
"So you see," Kakashi grinned. "This is a celebration for the department. We've officially gotten bigger, better, and more bad-ass than before!" He rose his cup into the air. "Kanpai, everybody!"  
  
"KANPAI!!!" The echoes of youthful voices resounded through the huge mansion. The crowd broke into wild partying and loud noise.  
  
Sasuke found Naruto grinning at him, trying to say something to him. The noise was so loud that he could only see Naruto's mouth opening and closing. Annoyed, he picked up a bun and threw it at Naruto, smirking with satisfaction when it landed directly in Naruto's mouth, promptly shutting him out. Naruto made a face, his eyes crossing as he tried to look at the bun. Sasuke could feel his lips twitch upwards, an inexplicable gush of joy, relief, and peace flooding over his entire being suddenly. He looked at Naruto, who looked at him.  
  
And they both burst out laughing at the exact same instance, adding to the chaos that was already in the room.  
  
Uzumaki Naruto.  
  
It was now more than just a name printed solemnly across a pale, white sheet of paper.  
  
  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
19/10/2004  
Part 16 of 16  
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net  
  
  
a/n:  
i started this fic as a oneshot back in july. but it slowly grew into a monster with ten arms and six legs. this was especially so after i played around with chien's romance fanfic generator. it told me i needed to write a fic that was ANGSTY but HUMOUROUS (is that possible?!), and it had to be LONG, with CHAPTERS and CHAPTERS, with a PG rating and 88percent SAPPINESS.  
  
...  
  
as you probably already know, XD /does not/ take a challenge lying down.  
  
if you're still reading, you must at least like the fic a bit, right? right?? thanks for reading anyway. :) hope i brightened up your day!  
  
  
HikaruOfArrow  
i see you reviewing often with impact-ful oneliners. XD thanks!  
  
Gisela  
i'm glad you liked the difference. :3 hopefully i managed to entertain to the end.  
  
:)  
that's such a cute nick... although i shouldn't say anything since i'm a cross-eyed smiley myself. XD i thank you for your regular reviewing despite my apparent lack of response. your witty comments really made me laugh more than once, and i will cherish them forever. thanks again! :D  
  
riddle  
it's not au strictly speaking, but i'm glad you're reading anyway! :D  
  
Rakam  
hope you got my mail. :3 did i answer all your questions yet? if not, feel free to pummel me! i love intelligent readers!!  
  
Halig  
hope you got my mail too! XD i promise my next naruto fic will be unfinished, so i won't spam all the poor people on auth alert. XD i wait eagerly for your intelligent criticism too. :3  
  
Teal Thanatos  
no problem! thanks for taking time to read it. :D  
  
Katie  
hi katie! :D i keep seeing you all over the place. i love your reviews. they put me on a fangirl high. yes! friendship fics 4evah!!  
  
Silverlyght  
ooops! glad you dropped by to read anyway! :D  
  
Third Degree Run  
buahahha! angst humour is the worst kind of combination for a fic. XD i thank you for your consistent burbles too! they give me a giggle all the time! feel the angst and feel the humour! this shall be my new fic motto :D  
  
thei-kun  
hope you gave it a shot to the end!  
  
Shin  
thanks for informing me :3 youma is the term they used in the naruto manga, actually. not sure about anime!  
  
miako  
YESH SHIKAMARU! as for length, what can i say! i am long winded! XD  
  
Anime Addict Anonymous  
sorry! i hope your boss didn't scold you! :X really thank you for holding my fic in such high regard!  
  
Hiiragi  
thanks for being an avid reader. :3  
  
NuttyScribbler  
i've been cheering for your exams since you reviewed. :D how did it go?  
  
ePuiChi  
mmm i understand the summary may put some people off, but thanks for taking the plunge anyway! :D reviews are really great, but as long as people read and enjoy it, i think as a writer, i've done my job! :3 i kept a lot of things a mystery in hopes of keeping people hooked. guess it does backfire sometimes, huh? XD  
  
Ayako  
you're too kind :3 thanks for the encouragement.  
  
RatboyG  
hello there! your reviews warm me up greatly and i really love you because you took great care to read everything very carefully! the amount of attention you spent on the fic, reading and then reviewing - it puts me to shame. i really really hope you enjoyed the fic, seeing it is the only way i can repay readers who spend time reading it. i'm glad you stuck around. :3  



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